Demon Hunters
by snaptdragon
Summary: Evil is evil no matter what form it takes, no matter what guise it wears. Demon Hunters come to Jump City looking for Raven. Can the Teen Titans protect her? [Complete]
1. The Hunters

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans… sadly.

Pairings: Beast Boy/Raven, Robin/Starfire

A/N: This is a little darker than what I usually write. The chapters will be very short, but I'm going to try to update every third day.

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Pronunciation Guide:

Lunis lune-is

Solaris Solar-is

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**Demon Hunters **

Chapter 1: The Hunters

"Where the hell is it, Lunis?" Solaris asked in a quiet, singsong tone, but her voice tight with something close to fear.

"You're right on top of it." Lunis's voice was quiet, as always. "Be careful."

Solaris gripped the Sword of the Pure a little tighter, her eyes darting around as she turned slowly in a full circle. "Pax, give me a read-out."

"It's a third-class demon, but only at half-power. You could probably handle it alone, but there's no point in taking chances. We'll come down as soon as it reveals itself."

Solaris waited, patient as a cat at a mouse hole.

There. A movement in the shadows. Solaris dove to the side just as a huge clawed hand reached out of the shadows to swipe where she had been.

"Now, Pax."

A teenaged boy with dark hair and dark clothes jumped down from the rooftops. He swung the Soul Blade, slicing through the demon and pining it to the ground.

Lunis descended, her silk gown billowing in the rush of her descent. She laid the flat of the Immortal Blade on the demon's forehead. She felt the heady rush of power as the sword absorbed the demon's immortality.

"Make your peace, demon."

Solaris stabbed it through its heart, the Sword of the Pure emitting a blinding flash of light, then incinerating every trace of the demon, even its blood.

Solaris looked inquiringly at Lunis.

"We're clear," the girl replied.

Pax and Solaris breathed a little easier.

"Where to next?" Pax asked casually.

Lunis closed her eyes for a moment, humming softly and tracing a circle on one of her palms. "That way." Her eyes snapped open and she pointed in a direction to the north.

"What did you see?" Pax asked.

"Water. A city. And…" Lunis hesitated.

Solaris looked at her scrutinizing. Lunis didn't hesitate, not when she was giving directions. "Are you uncertain?"

Lunis laughed. "I am certain, it is simply… strange. I saw a 'T', sister."

Solaris gave her a skeptical look, but Pax had already entered the information into his computer.

"I've got it," he said. "It's a few hundred miles from here."

Lunis gave her sister an 'I-Told-You-So' look.

"What's the name of the town?" Solaris inquired, ignoring Lunis.

"Jump City."


	2. The Hunted

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: I usually don't write about original characters (in this case, the Demon Hunters), so I'll definitely be trying to keep the focus on the Teen Titans. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! (And sorry for stealing anyone's idea… I'll try my best to live up to the premise. )

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 2: The Hunted

"You burned tea," Raven stated, somewhat in a state of disbelief.

"Not intentionally," Starfire protested unhappily.

"But you did manage to burn it. Even though it _is_ a liquid. That's quite impressive." Raven analyzed the contents of the teapot, which contained charred, blackened tealeaves.

"I will attempt to make tea again, yes?" Starfire asked doubtfully.

"No, no, I'll take care of it," Raven said quickly.

Raven had almost grown accustomed to having friends. She had come to enjoy Starfire's company when they meditated together, and, though she would never admit it, she had even become accustomed to the weekly trips to the mall.

But her tea was something else entirely. It was almost sacred. So she was almost relieved that Starfire had blundered it thoroughly enough to warrant an entire new batch.

Raven's body went about the motions of preparing that tea without so much as a conscious thought on Raven's part. Making tea was almost a reflex. It was certainly a habit.

While Raven waited for the water to boil, she joined Starfire in looking out of the Tower's huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

"It is beautiful, is it not?"

Raven nodded. The sun was just sinking below the horizon, lighting up the sky one last time with beautiful red rays that created a lightshow on the few remaining clouds.

"I think the water's ready," Raven said, turning to finish fixing the tea.

That was when the window exploded.

To say that it shattered would have been an understatement. Glass flew in all directions, embedding itself in the floor, the walls, and the two girls.

They screamed, purely an instinctual response to the pain, the noise, and the confusion.

But Starfire and Raven were not content to merely scream.

Starfire brushed most of the glass off of her, glad that Tamarainians were tougher than they looked.

Raven's cloak had shielded her from most of the debris, but, after erecting a protective shield around herself and Starfire, she picked the few shards that had struck her out of her skin.

"What was that?" Raven asked.

Starfire's response was cut off by the appearance of a teenaged girl.

She leapt through the window casually, her golden eyes surveying the situation. She had short, jagged red hair and she wore simple yellow-orange clothing. In her hands, she held a sword that glowed white.

Without so much as a pause, she brought her sword down on Raven's shield, which flickered and gave out.

Starfire and Raven were thrown back from the power of the strike.

"Pax, Lunis. Time to make your entrance," the woman said.

Two more teenagers, both looking a little younger than the first, jumped through the window.

But by now, Starfire and Raven were ready.

Starfire peppered the two new arrivals with starbolts and Raven used her magic to pick up one of the couches and hurled it at the original attacker.

The attacks were dodged, but just barely.

It looked like a new round of combat was about to begin, but then Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy arrived.

"Get out of our home," Robin said fiercely.

The three invaders didn't deign to answer. Instead, they readied their weapons.

Robin launched himself at the oldest girl, using his bo staff to counter her sword. Cyborg and Beast Boy double-teamed the other girl and Starfire and Raven concentrated on the boy.

The golden girl growled at Robin and attacked him in a series of swift strikes.

Robin dodged the majority and parried the rest, until one final strike that came too quickly for him to stop.

He cringed at the blade flew towards him, utterly unable to dodge it,

And to his surprise, it passed right through him.

And from the look on her face, no one was more surprised than the girl.

"Retreat," the she said suddenly, and within a heartbeat, they were gone.

"What _was_ that?" Robin wondered aloud, looking out the window.

"An attack," Raven answered, picking the remaining shards of glass from her flesh. "A very good attack."


	3. Regrouping Part I

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

Pairings: Beast Boy/Raven and Robin/Starfire. I don't know how prevalent Rob/Star is going to be, since the focus of this story is mostly on Raven.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm trying to stick to updating every third day, so hopefully no one will mind such ridiculously short chapters If anyone has any input about the every-third-day updates, I'd be really interested to know what people think. Also, this chapter tries to explain a little more about the Hunters, so I hope no one minds losing sight of the Teen Titans for a bit.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 3: Regrouping Part I

"Why did she have help?" Solaris demanded, once they were a safe distance away. "You said she was alone."

"I said there were no other demons within a hundred miles of this place," Pax said defensively.

Solaris scowled at him, but her expression softened once she saw the uneasy expression on his face. "It's not your fault, little brother," she said.

"It is," he snapped. "It's my job to get all the details on the situation before we go in, isn't it? And this time, I let you both down."

"It happens to everyone," Solaris said with a shrug. "Just don't let it happen again."

Pax turned away, clearly still angry at himself.

Lunis's mind lightly brushed against Solaris's. -He's just a kid.-

-I know, I know. I keep forgetting he's only fifteen. He takes so much responsibility for someone so young.-

-Oh, please,- Lunis teased. -You're only four years older than he is, and you started Hunting at least seven years ago. You were, what, twelve?-

-Different times,- Solaris thought tensely, -Things were much simpler then.-

-Whatever. My point is: you shouldn't be so hard on Pax. He's our partner and a damn good fighter, but before all that, he's our little brother.-

Solaris began to reply, but she felt Lunis drift away from her. She shot a glare at her sister, wishing that she had the ability to make mental contact. She walked over to her brother and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I don't mean to be so hard on you. We all make mistakes. Don't you remember when Lunis led us in circles around Alaska for a week?"

"Hey! There was a migrating demon horde directly underneath us. How was I supposed to figure that out?" Lunis protested. "What about when you went after the class two demon on your own?"

"I thought I could handle it," Solaris said stiffly. "I didn't want you guys to risk getting hurt."

"So instead, you spent the weekend with three broken ribs," Lunis recalled thoughtfully.

Pax couldn't help smiling.

"See? It all balances out," Solaris said.

"It just bothers me because I still can't figure out what I did wrong," Pax said. "It doesn't make any sense. The Other One wouldn't manifest yet, and particularly not for this, and not as those four."

"The Other has not manifested," Lunis said quietly. "The four with her were not demons."

"There wasn't so much as a demonic trace on any of them," Pax added, analyzing the readings he had taken. "Why would they help her? Don't they know what they're protecting?"

"Maybe they don't." Solaris said quietly. "Maybe we should educate them."


	4. Regrouping Part II

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Another short chapter! I hope everyone likes it so far. I think might start updating every other day, since these chapters are so short and also because I really enjoy hearing what people think about this story. So speaking of which, thanks again for the reviews! And to anyone reading this who hasn't reviewed, please let me know what you think. I'm very interested in hearing what people like and what they think could be improved, or what they want to see in the next chapter.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 4: Regrouping Part II

The Teen Titans were clustered in the infirmary. Robin and Beast Boy had an impressive assortment of bruises and Cyborg's arm needed some repairs.

"For having them outnumbered, we didn't really do very good," Beast Boy pointed out.

"We didn't do very _well_," Raeven corrected.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said with a nod, assuming that Raven was just agreeing with him. "So what are we going to do?"

"We'll think of something," Robin said.

"They were well trained. And they had us picked as targets," Raven stated. "This wasn't a random attack. They hunted us down at our home."

"Their weapons didn't seem to work on me. There must have been something that they didn't account for," Robin said thoughtfully.

"That is strange, is it not?" Starfire asked. "To be unprepared to fight a human when humans are the majority on this planet."

"So if their weapons don't work on humans, then who are they calibrated for? Tamaranians? Robots? Mutants? Demons?"

They all exchanged uneasy looks.

"Why would they be after us in the first place?" Beast Boy demanded. "We've never even seen them before. I mean, if Cinderblock or Slade came after us at our home, I could understand that, but these people? I'm pretty sure I'd remember fighting them."

"Well, no one ever said we would make any friends by putting most of the city's criminals in jail," Cyborg pointed out. "We've made our share of enemies who would want to get back at us, and that might not always mean coming here themselves."

"But it didn't seem like that," Raven said with a sigh. "It seemed like they came after us, and then were surprised by how many people were here."

"If they were sent here, they would have at least been told how many of us there are," Robin agreed.

"So why did the come here? And what are they after?" Beast Boy asked.

No one had an answer.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. _I'm_ going to go into trace, I'm going to take care of these cuts," Raven said, with a gesture at the places where the glass had punctured her skin. "I might as well heal you guys too, while I'm at it."

"I will keep the eye out," Starfire volunteered. Her injuries were minimal, just a few scratches that were barely noticeable.

"Are you sure, Star?" Robin asked. "I could take the first watch, while you heal up?"

Starfire shook her head. "I am certain."

Raven glanced at Robin and Beast Boy, who were stretched out on cots to either side of her. She nodded once at each of them, and then closed her eyes. _Azarath, metrion, zinthos._ Her breathing became regular and shallow as her magic stretched out to connect with her two friends.

She explored the bruises on Beast Boy's body with professional curiosity, pausing at his right ankle to ease some swelling and them moving up to fuse a small fracture in his collarbone.

At the same time, she took a cursory glance at Robin's injuries, focusing first on his bruises and then repairing a few small cuts from the broken glass.

Once her magic was working on their wounds, she started to heal her own cuts and bruises.

She was locked deep in the trance, her attention completely focused on directing the various tasks she was working on, when everything fell away: Robin, Beast Boy, and even her own consciousness. Panic filled her, and complete darkness settled in.


	5. Ambushed

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Just to warn everyone, I think this story is about to get a lot darker. I'm not going to have excessive of violence or anything really bad, but it's not going to be too cheerful for awhile… I hope no one minds. And as always, I really appreciate any reviews. It'd be great to get any kind of feedback and even if you don't particularly have any comments, it would be cool to see how many people are reading this little story.

Pairings: I hate to disappoint anyone, but I'm not planning on changing the pairings… I'll write more on this later, after I've developed it a little more… er… probably around chapter 9, the way things are planned out.

--Revision--

Since there seems to be a little confusion, I'm going to slightly revise this chapter so it'll hopefully make a little more sense.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 5: Ambushed

Solaris's sword was pressed against Raven's throat.

Starfire had Lunis at a standoff, and Cyborg and Pax were also evenly matched. Robin and Beast Boy had been jolted out of their trance, but they had only awakened once the stalemate had started. Unlike when Raven had gently slipped them into trance with her, they were left with the impression of silver claws raking them out of the blankness. Raven, it seemed, was still in the trance.

"I am sorry, Robin," Starfire said tensely. "They are… more persistent than we expected."

Robin slowly got to his feet, keeping a careful eye on Solaris. Something must be wrong if Raven was still in trance. Her wounds weren't deep enough for her to intentionally go into the coma-like state where she could regenerate at the greatest speed but at the cost of blocking out the outside world. In fact, in the trance state they had been in, even a sudden noise should have jolted her back into reality. Robin narrowed his masked eyes. "What did you do to her?"

"She is unharmed, for the time being," Lunis answered.

We were deeply linked while she healed us, Robin thought. If this girl was able to throw us out of the trance, she could probably trap Raven in it.

"What do you want?" Robin demanded, addressing Solaris.

"We want to exterminate this demon," Solaris said.

Beast Boy shifted uneasily, not at all liking the way this was going, particularly when Raven was unconscious and at the mercy of this strange girl. He might have done something rash, but Robin shot him a look reminding him not to move. Raven was in danger, that much was clear, but if all the girl wanted was to kill her, then they wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

"Do you realize what you're protecting?" Lunis asked in a very rational tone. "She is evil."

"Raven is _not_ evil!" Beast Boy growled.

"She is a demon," Pax stated. "So she is evil."

"Raven is only half-demon," Robin pointed out. "And she certainly isn't evil."

"She has evil inside her," Lunis said. "Surely even you can sense it. Surely you have seen it manifest. She might only be half-demon, but there is a demon using her as a gateway to this realm."

"That doesn't make her evil," Beast Boy said.

"It does," Pax said with the calm certainty that made Beast Boy even angrier. "Evil is evil. No matter what form it takes, no matter what guise it wears, at the core it cannot be anything other than evil."

"Wherever evil exists, we will hunt it," Lunis said, "And wherever we find it, we will destroy it."

Solaris shifted her grip on Raven so that she was holding Raven with her arms pinned to her sides. "Your friend is evil," she said. "And she must be destroyed."


	6. Captured

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Wow… it's so awesome to have gotten so many reviews so far! Please continue to let me know what you think, either what you like, or any improvements you'd suggest. As much as criticism might seem like a bad thing, I'm convinced that it's needed for improvement, and I really do want to improve. So, if anyone has any suggestions for things I can work on, it'd be very helpful. Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews. I think this chapter is a little longer…

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 6: Captured

_Her sword didn't work on me last time_, Robin thought. _I wonder if_-

"No," Lunis said. "Her sword will be quite effective on your friend."

"How did you-?"

Lunis tapped two fingers to her head. "Watch what you think."

Solaris frowned and decided to take a risk before Lunis all but explained everything about her invasive telepathy. "Our weapons are extremely lethal for anyone of demon blood. But against anyone else, they become insubstantial."

Before Robin had even finished forming his question, Lunis answered him: "It's to make sure we only fight against evil. Do you need any more proof that we're on your side?"

"Any side that wants to kill Raven is definitely not our side!" Beast Boy said.

"Maybe you should reconsider," Lunis said. "How much do you really know about her?"

Beast Boy scowled at her. "Enough to know that she's our friend."

"You know she's dangerous. You've seen her powers go out of control," Lunis said softly, brushing against their memories and pulling the ones she wanted to the front.

"It doesn't matter," Robin said sharply. "We'll fight for her, and we'll defend her."

"We thought you might say that," Solaris said. "No one move."

The order was nearly unnecessary. She had hefted Raven over her shoulder and retreated to stand near Pax and Lunis almost before anyone realized she had moved. She tied Raven's hands together while Lunis kept a sword trained on Raven and Pax watched the Titans.

Solaris tossed Raven's limp body to Pax, who caught her neatly while still managing to keep his sword in hand.

"We can't have you following us," Solaris explained, approaching Starfire.

The alien girl's eyes glowed a dangerous green, but with a reluctant glance at Raven's still unconscious form, she surrendered.

Cyborg and the others likewise stood down.

"Now what are you going to do with us?" Beast Boy asked.

Lunis closed her eyes and browsed through their minds like she was flipping through a scrapbook.

"Find anything useful?" Solaris asked.

"Yeah." Lunis paused on Robin's memory of fighting the imaginary Slade. "Got it. And it's actually right through there," Lunis said, pointing to the door to the isolation room.

"Alright, you heard her," Solaris said.

The Titans started walking, Robin in the lead with his hands up. The team watched his right hand with unusual interest. After a few steps, Robin gestured ever so slightly with that hand.

The Teen Titans sprang into action.

Cyborg and Beast Boy tackled Solaris, who was the closest, dragging her to the ground. Starfire peppered Lunis with starbolts, forcing her to drop her sword.

Robin went after Pax. He threw a series of explosives at the boy, but he dodged them with surprising agility.

"That was stupid," Pax said, pressing his sword into Raven's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "Very stupid."

The Teen Titans froze. Solaris and Lunis stood back up and roughly shoved the team into the isolation chamber.

Pax rolled a large round object into the center of the room, and then the door sealed shut.

Five seconds later, that large round object exploded.


	7. Bait

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Moving right along, I hope this plot will move quickly enough for everyone and I hope it doesn't get repetitive. Thanks again for reviewing. I have thoroughly enjoyed _all _of the reviews and I even end up reading them multiple times. I think 's greatest strength is that it creates a writing community with almost instant feedback. I really value everyone's opinions and I'd love to hear more of what you guys think! As per the requests, I've tried to make this chapter longer…

Also, for anyone who's interested in the "good" and "evil" debate, (the whole issue of demonic powers being "evil") my other story, "Fallen Angels and Forgotten Teddy Bears," is all about coming to terms with that, although it is focused more on Starfire than Raven, the last chapter talks about both. It's actually what led me to write this story, because I started really thinking about Raven's powers. "Fallen Angels" is more about Starfire's powers

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 7: Bait 

"Don't be afraid."

Searing pain blazed across her right shoulder, pulling her into consciousness.

Raven gasped and struggled to open her eyes as the paralysis lifted just slightly. A slight pain across her neck had pulled her out of the darkness, but she had been paralyzed until she heard that voice and felt that stab of pain

She opened her eyes and saw that the stabbing pain had indeed been a sword stabbed through her shoulder. It still protruded from her, pinning her to a wall at her back, but she didn't seem to be bleeding too badly from the wound.

She turned to look in front of her and saw the boy she had fought. His name was Pax, she knew. He was concerned about her in a very cold, professional way. The rush of information caught her by surprise, but she could only blink in a disoriented, confused way; the rest of her couldn't shake off the paralysis.

-Don't be afraid.-

-What do you care?- Raven thought.

The knowledge that he was also an empath flooded her. So. He didn't want to feel her fear. Too bad.

But she already felt her fear ebbing. He was washing her in an irresistible calm that soothed her even though she knew that he had just stabbed her. She strained to move, to attack… even to muster some anger over the situation. On all accounts, she failed.

-The sword has immobilized you.-

The Soul Sword. Raven felt an onslaught of knowledge concerning the blade that was almost painful. She knew instantly that it had frozen her magic as well as her body when it had stabbed through her soul self and that it would keep her here until one of them pulled it out. It was old magic; something handed down to help them fight the demons. It could hold any demon for an indefinite amount of time as long as it was able to bite through the demon's flesh and blood and into something solid behind it.

And with that knowledge, she also knew that they had no intention of releasing her anytime soon.

-So what am I doing here, still alive?-

-Bait.-

Their plan came to her in a flash, but Pax took the time to explain it anyway.

-Your father uses you as a gateway to our dimension. You're his easiest portal. He'll manifest to protect you, and then we'll destroy him.-

-Why are you telling me this?-

Pax had to give her credit. She had dealt with the absence of her powers admirably. Most demons went nearly insane when they discovered the Soul Sword froze their powers as well as their bodies. And she certainly was pretty…

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He felt a rush of gratitude that this demon's empathic powers were at a standstill; otherwise, she would surely be sensing his feelings right now. As it was, he could choose what to let her know, controlling their contact and, to a certain extent, her emotions.

While he could control how much she felt, he hadn't entirely been able to block her emotions. Lunis would scold him for his lack of control, but from how calm the half-demon had seemed, he hadn't expected so much fear. He had felt the intensity of her fear, before he had calmed her, and he had to admire how she was able to completely ignore it. When it had hit him, he had nearly been paralyzed by it, but she simply dealt with it and worked through it. And now that her fear had been lulled, she was brave enough to make demands of her captors.

_Even now, she's at my mercy_, he thought, _and she has the presence of mind to interrogate me_.

_Bravery like yours deserves answers_, he thought, even though he was certain her quick mind would have already guessed at the answer to her question. A quick look inside her thoughts revealed that she was already starting to think along those lines, but he decided to answer her anyway, if only to keep the conversation going.

-We told you because he knows what you know. And we want him to understand that we _will _kill you.-

Raven felt the absolute certainty of that statement press down on her. Yes, they would kill her, but they would prefer to force her father out and kill him as well.

-And now?- Raven asked, trying to sound brave.

-Now,- Pax said, pushing her stray hair out of her face, -we wait.-


	8. Recovering

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Haha… I just realized that a lot of these chapters end with someone blacking out. Ah well… I hope no one minds. I'm thrilled that everyone seems to be enjoying this. Thanks again for the reviews! As a random poll for this chapter, (if anyone out there is reading and wants to review but doesn't particularly have anything to say) do you think anything will happen between Raven and Pax?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 8: Recovering

The smoke from the explosion slowly cleared, revealing a massive stack of broken metal and concrete.

A flickering green light penetrated the cracks of the heap in short flickers.

Flicker,

Flicker,

Then there was another explosion that blew the pile away.

Starfire stood in the pile of debris, Her fists and eyes glowing an angry green. She supported Robin with her left arm and Beast Boy was draped over her shoulder.

"Cyborg?" Starfire called.

"I'm here, Starfire. Fire. Fire." Cyborg pushed a slab of metal off of himself and stood up shakily, but the machine portion of his brain sparked and fizzled.

"Are you-" Starfire began, but then something in Cyborg's left knee gave out and the half-robot boy collapsed.

"St-st-st-ar. F-f-fire. Ire. Ire…"

Starfire limped out to the infirmary and placed Beast Boy and Robin on separate cots, then went back for Cyborg. She bit her lip to keep from panicking. There was so much blood everywhere…

Somehow, Starfire kept herself together long enough to bandage everyone.

As she finished cleaning up Robin's wounds and stopping the worst of the bleeding, he momentarily regained consciousness.

"Star… are you okay?" he groaned, trying to sit up.

"Please, Robin, do not move. You are badly wounded," she told him, pushing him gently back down so he wouldn't reopen some of the cuts that had clotted. Tears welled up in her eyes. _This is my fault_, she thought. After all, she had promised to keep the eye out. She had assured Robin that her wounds were insignificant and that she would be able to keep any attackers at bay.

True, none of them had truly expected these enemies to return so quickly for a second round, and the risk of getting everyone healed quickly seemed worth it. A few moments more, and things might have been much different. Starfire smoothed Robin's hair, her eyes anxious.

"You're hurt," Robin told her, reaching up to touch her face.

She felt him leave a thin trail of blood across her cheek, but she couldn't tell if it was his blood or her own. She bit her lip, forcing her emotions to level. Crying now would do no good. She had to be prepared to summon boundless confidence or unbridled joy in case these strange enemies returned. Righteous fury would be easy enough to come by.

She resettled Robin in his cot as he lost consciousness. She smiled down on him briefly and then felt the exhaustion and pain she had ignored come down on her in full force.

She collapsed, barely managing to catch herself on the cot next to Robin. She steadied herself and managed to half fall, half crawl onto the cot.

_My friends need me. They are hurt… And the fault for all of this is mine_. Robin was hurt, very badly it seemed. Starfire had been on earth long enough to be familiar with human physiology, and from what she had learned, Robin wouldn't be able to fight for some time. Starfire nearly cried from the helpless feeling that overwhelmed her. If only she had Raven's ability to heal…

Raven, she thought dimly, but pain bombarded her again.

She glanced down at herself and realized that she was in as bad a shape as her teammates. She knew she should wrap some gauze around the worst of her cuts to stop the bleeding. She knew she should make sure the pain in her ribs wasn't a set of broken bones. She knew she should check to see if she had a concussion.

But it just felt so good to lie there and rest.

Her eyes closed almost involuntarily. The sharp pains in her ribs seemed less and less important.

Raven. That was important. Where was she? Was she okay? She might be hurt. She might need help... Starfire struggled to get up, but the effort exhausted her. She managed to roll off of her cot, but another swelling of pain forced her to her knees.

Raven.

Starfire clenched her fists and forced herself to stand.

-Persistent, aren't we?- a voice asked in Starfire's mind.

She had enough time to panic, but she didn't have enough energy to do anything about it. Pain flared across the back of her head, and then everything went dark.


	9. Waiting

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: This chapter isn't as boring as the title would imply.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 9: Waiting 

-How long is this going to take?- Pax demanded in Lunis's mind.

-I don't know. It's hard to tell.-

-We shouldn't be keeping her alive this long.-

-We don't have much of a choice.-

-Of course we do. Just kill her now.-

Lunis raised her eyebrows, carefully keeping her eyes on her silk dress. –Oh? And why should we do that, when we _know_ that if we have a little patience, we might be able to eradicate another one of their kind?-

-Because we don't really _know _that, or anything else, for that matter!-

Lunis winced for his benefit, a reminder to keep his mental voice down to a respectful level.

Pax took a deep breath to steady himself and continued in what he hoped was a more rational tone. -Of all the demon's we've dealt with, we've never gone into a situation with such a complete dearth of intel. You know that, you've seen my read-outs… or lack thereof.-

Lunis frowned.

Pax allowed himself a moment of triumph; she knew It was true. Wherever the Other existed, it was beyond his scanners. When he tried to take a reading on Raven, he got abnormal stats, but that was about it. –All we know is that she's powerful… or he is.-

-And that means they both must be destroyed,- Lunis concluded.

-We don't know anything about this Other. What if he doesn't manifest?-

-We know the girl seems to think of him as 'Trigon' or 'father.'-

-But that's about all we could get out of her mind. We're barely certain of his existence.-

-He must be protecting her memories, keeping us out.-

-Or maybe she's stronger than you think.-

Lunis frowned. -All the more reason to hold out for the demon that spawned her. He must be at least as powerful as she is.-

-No!- Pax slammed his fist on the table. –All the more reason to kill her _now_ before she tricks us.-

-You know to watch for demon tricks,- Lunis replied archly. –We all do.-

-It's more than that… The Teen Titans might come for her.- He paced uneasily before the door to Raven's cell. –She's dangerous. She's a threat.-

-Oh? Or is she something more than all of that?- Lunis asked archly, and Pax felt his memories unfolding for her.

-Stop it.- He blocked her out, slamming a mental wall between them so quickly that Lunis actually took a step back.

-Watch it, little brother.- She rubbed her temple, her passive eyes locked on him. –You don't want to get caught in a demon trap. And there are some traps from which there is no escape.-

Pax shook his head as Lunis walked away. He was glad that he was the only empath of the family. Lunis might be able to rummage through his memories and jump into his mind, but she couldn't actually feel his emotions.

He paused before the cell's door, and then went in.

Immediately, he felt a stab of fear coming from the half-demon that was so powerful it nearly knocked him to his knees.

-You don't need to be afraid of me,- he said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Her violet eyes snapped open, and he felt something else burning away the fear, running underneath it like a current of lava… Anger.

-You're going to kill me, aren't you? Why don't we just get it over with?-

-Trigon hasn't manifested yet.-

-You said you'd kill me anyway,- she reminded him. –What are you waiting for?-

A normal prisoner would have begged for mercy, or at least taken this stay of execution without questioning it. But this girl…

-Maybe I'm just not normal,- Raven suggested dryly.

Pax tried to cover his surprise that she had heard his thoughts. –Why are you so eager for death?-

-I'm not.-

Without words, he saw that she was suspicious of them. –Why?-

-Honestly?- she asked, somewhat rhetorically; there were no secrets from him, if she told a lie, he'd simply reach into her mind to see the truth. -If you want me to cling to my life and be grateful for every little second, then, well, if I'm going to die anyway, I'd rather die without giving you the satisfaction.-

He stood near her, his face unusually close to hers. –Why are you so different, Raven?-

He felt memories opening up, centered on a strange green boy.

"You're so creepy, Raven."

"You're too dark."

"Don't you ever smile?"

The memories slammed shut like a book closing in his face. Pax winced slightly and wondered if that was how Lunis had felt. Unlike Lunis, he was an empath and he had more than seen the memories, he had felt a steady warmth of… love?

-Why are you so eager to kill me?- she asked. –I heard you talking in the hallway. Your sister seems to think it's worth the wait to try to draw Trigon out, but you seem intent on killing me as soon as possible.-

The fact that she had heard his private mental conversation with Lunis didn't come as too much of a surprise. Based on what had just happened, with her listening in on his thoughts, Pax was already beginning to understand that this girl's empathy was so strong that not only was it flickering back, despite the Soul Sword's dampening influence, but it also was so terrifyingly strong that it rivaled his own, and since he was also an empath, their minds were nearly diffusing into each other.

So it was for that reason that he tried not to think about the answer to her question. Instead, he replied, -It's a waste of time. If he was going to manifest, he would have done it already.-

She knew it was a lie, of course. Her skepticism radiated off of her like the glare from the noonday sun. Not that she didn't believe her father would have no qualms about throwing her to these Hunters, but because she could feel a lie in him as clearly as he could feel a lie in her.

She was getting too close. Pax pulled a small bottle out of his pocket. –Here. Drink this.-

-No thanks, I'm not thirsty,- she said loftily.

It was the truth, of course. One of the quirks of the Soul Sword was that it would freeze the demon's metabolism.

-Drink it anyway,- he said.

-What is it?- she demanded suspiciously.

-Poison.-

-Um. Then, I'm pretty sure I don't want to drink it,-

-It will force Trigon out. He'll know that you're dying.-

-That's really thoughtful, but all the same, no thanks.-

Pax uncapped the bottle and put it to her lips. She flinched away from it. He put the bottle to his own lips and poured the poison into his mouth. But he didn't swallow it. He cupped his hand around her chin and brought his face nearer to hers.

Raven's eyes went wide as his mouth pressed against hers. With his right hand, he grabbed the Soul Sword and twisted it. Raven screamed out in pain, and he pushed the poison into her mouth.

-Now swallow,- he commanded, his mouth still pressed against hers.

She tried to spit it out, but he wouldn't let her.

He gripped the Soul Sword again and felt a tremor of pain run through her. And then her agony hit him like a bullet train.

Why he hadn't felt it before, he could only attribute to the poison's dampening effect. While it had been in his mouth, his powers had been weakened. Now that it was gone, he felt every excruciating detail of her pain. His right shoulder burned with such intensity that he almost passed out.

He felt Raven go limp. He let go of the sword, tipped her head back, and watched her the poison drain down her throat. Then he backed away from her, gasping for breath as he fell to his knees.

Paxcaught his breath, his eyes never leaving the half-demon. He got to his feet and wiped any traces of the poison off his mouth. He pushed Raven's stray hair behind her ears, his hand lingering just a second too long on her skin. And then he calmly walked out of the room.


	10. Dying

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: A moderately short chapter that's rather introspective. Thanks again for the reviews! And sorry if this chapter gets a little sappy/hard to believe… this is written from Raven's perspective (so even though it's in the third person, the narrator doesn't reveal anything that Raven herself wouldn't know) so a few things will be cleared up in the next chapter. Anyway, happy holidays and thanks for reading! And if anyone has any comments or guesses about what will happen next, feel free to throw them out there. I always plan out the whole story before I start writing, so it's interesting to see if anyone can guess what happens next.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 10: Dying 

So this was what dying felt like. It wasn't that bad.

Numbness filled her mind, choking out her thoughts. She tried to concentrate on something, but her thoughts slipped past her like fish in a stream. She tried to go into a meditative trance so she would at least be able to escape to the realm of her mind and converse with her emotions, but the poison made it impossible to think.

But, that also meant she didn't think about anything bad. She didn't worry about an afterlife or think about all the things she'd miss… she barely had the strength to acknowledge that her father hadn't tried to manifest to save her, which was really no surprise. Her thoughts were just a passive blank.

The taste of the poison was still faintly in her mouth; it had been sweet and thick, not at all like how she would have expected poison to taste. If she had guessed, she would have guessed that it would be sharp and bitter, but instead it was syrupy sweet and intoxicating. Her head, her whole body, felt as light as air.

All in all, this wasn't a bad way to die.

One thought bubbled to the surface of her mind: The Teen Titans.

They were her friends. She needed them. But did they need her? Her friends would be fine without her. The Teen Titans could always find a replacement. New heroes seemed to be cropping up everywhere: Aqualad, Bumblebee, even Terra, if you wanted to look at it that way. In fact, it would probably be easier for them without Raven around with her quick temper and sharp comments.

Maybe they'd even find someone who liked volleyball, so they could all play together. Cyborg would have to play without an arm, as he had so often offered to do, but Raven was sure it'd be an improvement over having someone sit sulking in the corner trying to get her powers under control.

They'll be much happier this way, Raven thought. Maybe this is what's best for everyone. She didn't feel any self-pity or sadness; now that her death was a foregone conclusion, she was merely making her peace.

She held each one of them in her mind for a moment, saying goodbye.

Starfire, with her constant friendliness and puppy-like desire to spend time with Raven. Maybe my replacement will like going to the mall. Maybe she'll know how to braid hair. She probably won't like meditating. Raven wondered briefly if Starfire would miss the impromptu meditation sessions they shared together every so often, then dismissed it. Starfire might be hurt, but there wasn't much Raven could do about it at this point. Goodbye, Starfire. She let the thought of Starfire slip away from her.

Robin, with his logical nature and quick mind that matched her own. He'd better keep his head from now on. There would be no one to bail him out if he got too caught up to see the clues right in front of him, Raven thought, remembering their run-in with Slade when she had been forced to take over the boy detective's role of clue-solver. Goodbye Robin. The mental image she held of Robin dissolved.

Cyborg, with whom she could open up to as long as they were talking about cars. They seemed like complete opposites, which was perhaps why she could open up to him. Unlike all the others, Cyborg's life was marred by the obvious tragedy of loss of most of his human body. That was something only Raven could really understand; what it felt to be not entirely human, but to be human enough to get confused about it. Maybe he could open up to Starfire or Robin or whoever replaced her… Goodbye Cyborg. Her thoughts of Cyborg drifted away.

And Beast Boy.

Yes, Beast Boy was something to hold on to.

Her mind etched his big eyes, his unruly green hair, his smile. She recalled his corny jokes, his childish overconfidence, his immature games, and his tendency to sneak inside her room as a fly whenever he got worried about her. And the way he made it his mission to get her to laugh, no matter how many times he failed. The way he always offered her whatever he was cooking, no matter how many times she refused it. The way he would always come by her door, no matter how many times she shut him out.

I never told him, she remembered. I never even told him. I can't die without telling him. I can't.

In the darkness of her mind, she reached out and found strength that she hadn't known she had. It shot through her, buoying her up and filling her with energy. The poison's effect slipped, and she pushed the paralysis even further away.

She opened her eyes.

She took a deep breath.

And she screamed.


	11. Waking Up

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: A word on the pairings: So, by now it should be pretty clear this will still be a BB/Rae fic. You can blame Lovely White Violets for indoctrinating me early on to believe that Beast Boy and Raven would make a good couple. (The whole opposites attract thing and all that). But, for the Robin/Raven fans out there, I will admit that I do see how they would be a cute couple, and I enjoy reading Rob/Rae fics. I think my main reason for keeping true to the Rob/Star relationship is that it's pretty well established by the series and I try not to stray too far from the original characters, but I admire the people who are able to pull it off. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews! I really appreciate all the feedback.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 11: Waking Up 

Starfire opened her eyes and found herself staring at the floor of the infirmary. She searched her memory and found that the last thing she could recall was a voice echoing in her mind.

_Kernog!_ Starfire swore in Tamaranian and crawled to her feet. She scanned the room, wondering how she could have been so foolish the first time. She hadn't even checked for enemies, and clearly at least one had stayed behind to make sure the Teen Titans were all out of commission.

_But they did not kill us_. Starfire puzzled over what that could mean as she searched the entire infirmary from top to bottom. Part of her wanted to search the entire tower, but she rejected that idea almost immediately: there was no way she would leave her friends vulnerable while she flew around looking for enemies.

Once her search was finished, she took some time to check up on the team. Robin and Beast Boy were still unconscious.

"Robin! You are unharmed?" Starfire said loudly, trying to awaken the boy wonder.

He remained motionless on the cot.

Experimentally, she shook him by the shoulders, then leaned closely over him, watching his face. He was breathing normally. Why wouldn't he awaken?

She reached out, resting her hands on his shoulders, leaned closer, and… shook him back and forth screaming "Robin! Robin, awaken!"

"Why do you not awaken," she said, mostly to herself, as she put Robin down.

She turned to Beast Boy and prodded his arm, then shook his cot, but he too remained motionless.

"Beast Boy!" she shouted into his ear, to no effect. "Beast Boy, I have tofu-based food products that you may consume!"

Nothing.

She thought for a moment. "There is a new game for videos that Cyborg wishes to vanquish you at!"

Nothing.

Starfire zoomed speedily across the infirmary and grabbed a convenient bucket of cold water, and dumped it on top of her teammates.

Nothing.

Another quick dash resulted in a two huge metal trashcan lids that the Tamaranian banged together.

The crashing sound was loud enough to send bits of the ceiling (or what was left of it) crumbling down, but Robin and Beast Boy didn't seem to hear a thing.

With a frown, Starfire turned to inspect Cyborg. The half-man had literally been taken apart; he lay passive on the table with some of his parts spread out on a nearby cot. Starfire picked up one part and then another uncertainly, and then hastily put both back where she had found them.

With one last glance back at Robin, she went to one of the infirmary's computers and logged in. She checked the date and time and saw that nearly two days had passed. She swore again and flipped through the security logs until she came to the video monitors. In the span of a few minutes, she watched all that had happened from the time the blue girl, Lunis, she had been called, knocked her unconscious to the present.

Starfire was surprised to see that Lunis had barely even touched her. From the feel of it, she would have sworn that Lunis had bashed her over the head with a chair. Instead, in the video, Lunis merely touched two fingers to the back of Starfire's head. A small spark came from her hand, and then the Starfire on the screen collapsed.

Starfire growled as she watched Lunis approached Robin. But instead of attacking the unconscious boy, Lunis went straight for the attached to his arm. Starfire vaguely remembered setting up IV's for Robin and Beast Boy after she had bandaged them. With a gasp, Starfire watched Lunis dosed both of her teammates with heavy sedatives. Starfire immediately paused the playback and removed the IV's.

She apologized mentally to Robin and Beast Boy for not catching this treachery sooner. Surely Robin would have immediately thought to check for… Starfire shook her head and brushed her apologies aside for a time when she could deliver them. She went back to the playback and rewound the scene. She watched again as Lunis administered tranquilizers to Robin and Beast Boy.

_Why would she use tranquilizers and not something lethal and permanent?_

Then Lunis and then took apart Cyborg's central components.

_Why would she leave the components there instead of destroying them?_

The answer was more or less obvious, but it wasn't until Starfire had replayed the scene again, this time watching Lunis's expression, that she could begin to believe it.

_They wanted us out, but not dead._

Luckily they didn't seem to know too much about Tamaranian physiology, and thankfully Starfire was a lot tougher than she looked. Lunis must have thought that her mental tap would keep Starfire out for quite awhile… that would give the Titans an edge when they recovered.

_But it is only because of their mercy that we are able to recover at all… it would seem that they used much effort to avoid killing us_.

Starfire frowned thoughtfully as she bent over Robin and checked his pulse. All of Starfire's instincts clamored for her to go dashing off to rescue Raven, but she couldn't risk going in alone and her teammates weren't in any condition to fight yet.

And as much as she wanted to, it might be dangerous to try to counteract the sedatives; besides, from what Starfire had seen, the dosage Lunis had set up for them would wear off in an hour or two now that it wasn't still being fed into their systems. It would be better to wait and let the sedative wear off. But there was something she could do while she waited. Replaying the video yet again, Starfire paid careful attention to how Lunis disassembled Cyborg in the video, and then, grabbing a wrench, she got to work.


	12. Counterattack

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Sorry to leave you at such a dead-end last time. Hopefully, this chapter will be worth the wait. I really enjoy all the comments and suggestions everyone makes. I find it ridiculously cool that there are people reading this story who enjoy it enough to comment on it. Also, I'm incredibly flattered by the people who pay detailed enough attention to point out flaws. That kind of editing is hard to come by, since authors usually have to pay money to get people to read for that sort of thing. At some point, I might go back and try to fix a few things, but for now, I'm just trying to keep up with every other day updates. But, I want to let everyone know that the input is appreciated. And of course the encouraging reviews are always appreciated; when I get too caught up in worrying about the critics, (and the flaws in my story) it's good to know that some people out there do enjoy what I'm writing. Hopefully this chapter clears up a few things and makes up for the slight cliff hanger last time… Anyway, please let me know what you think of it, if there's anything I can do to improve, what you like/don't like, predictions… and so forth.

The Swords: A quick word on the swords in case all of that got a little confusing. There are three swords; each of the Demon Hunters has his/her own. Solaris uses the Blade of the Pure, which kills demons. Lunis uses the Immortal Blade, which can steal their powers/any immortality. Pax uses the Soul Sword, which can immobilize any demon along with his/her powers. The usual order that the Hunters follow can be seen in Chapter 1: The Hunters. Pax immobilizes it, Lunis makes it mortal/steals any powers, and Solaris comes in for the kill.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 12: Counterattack

Pax burst into Raven's cell, so startled from her scream that he even forgot to speak mentally to her. "What's wrong?"

-I'm not going to die like this.-

-Oh?- he asked, slipping back into their mental communication.

-I refuse.-

Pax laughed, amused by her flat refusal, as though death was something that one could simply say 'no' to. –So you refuse to die? Well, it's a good thing you aren't really poisoned.-

-I… what?-

Her eyes were really very pretty when they were so wide with confusion, he thought. It was almost a pity to explain and watch them return to their normal scowl -We thought that if you were convinced you were dying, he'd think you were dying, and he might try to save you.-

-But I'm not really dying?-

Pax looked at her arrogantly. –If we had wanted to kill you, we wouldn't have used _poison_.-

She sent a wordless interrogative in his direction and was answered by cascade of information that sent her numbed mind reeling.

Pax sighed and slowly explained, -Poison is for amateurs. Demons aren't all alike. Trying to kill one with poison is like taking a shot in the dark. Some aren't even manifested on this plane of existence.-

-So the poison was never meant to kill me?-

-It wasn't even poison.-

-?-

-Strong wine and sedatives.-

Raven felt embarrassment prickle along her spine. –So perhaps I overreacted.-

-You were meant to.- Pax hid his mental amusement, thinking that this particular half-demon was rather attractive when she blushed furiously and avoided his gaze. He wondered if he should explain the dampening effect that some sedatives had on empaths, but decided against it. She was still the enemy, after all.

Raven desperately wanted to say something crushing, but nothing particularly brutal came to mind; at least not anything that she could say without endangering her life. She quickly dismissed the appealing idea of retorting: _I hate to disappoint you, but even if you did kill me, my father probably wouldn't raise a finger to stop you._ As satisfying as it would be to get the better of her captor, she probably wouldn't be alive for very long afterwards to enjoy it.

So instead of commenting, Raven looked away and pushed that thought further and further into the corner of her mind, hoping that Pax wouldn't be able to find it. As long as they thought there was a possibility that Trigon would somehow put himself in danger for her, she was valuable bait. Even one contradictory thought might mean the end of this short hostage situation in a very unpleasant manner, and now that Raven had decided to live, she wasn't about to risk saying anything stupid just for the sake of pride.

-So you pretended to poison me?- she asked instead, hoping that by keeping him talking, she would also keep him out of her thoughts.

-Yes. Just to scare you.- Pax felt a tremor of hope come from her, which he quickly squashed. -We want Trigon, but whether or not we get him, we _will_ kill you.-

Raven tried to scowl at him, but the paralysis from the "poison" had only partially worn off. –How do I know that the next time you "kill" me won't just be another trick?-

Pax opened his mind to her, showing her all that he knew about Solaris's sword, the Blade of the Pure.

Raven took her time searching through this information. Instead of the usual avalanche, she was free to roam around; albeit her movement was limited to the subject of the sword. She prodded Pax's memory and knowledge, learning that the sword was the only universal means to slay any demon and that its name was derived from the curious property it had that no one with any trace of demonic heritage could wield it.

She grimaced as she explored a series of memories that portrayed several demons being slain. Countless battles, countless executions, all blending together into a single life-long mission… She backed away from those memories, but from what she had seen, Pax had been involved in these killings since he was old enough to hold a sword. She shuddered, thinking about how those experiences at such a young age must have influenced the teenager in front of her.

Pax's laughter jarred Raven out of his mind.

-You _worry_ about me,- he stated in her mind.

-No one should be forced into a life they didn't choose.-

The expression on the boy's face turned cold. Pax shut his mind to her, clipping her off with such suddenness that she gasped.

Raven watched his eyes and felt something very close to fear starting to run through her.

With a thought, he tore through her mind with a callous disregard that came from many years of seeing demons as nothing more than pure evil. He reached into her memories and pulled up her thoughts about her own life.

Whatever Pax had done to her earlier to calm her emotions, it was no longer in effect. Raven struggled against fear and terror as Pax opened up her past thoughts and forced her to face them.

-Did _you_ choose your life?-

Raven saw herself meditating while the other Teen Titans played volleyball. She felt her own resentment; wanting to play but needing to meditate. Resenting her powers, her heritage.

-Is this what you wanted?-

Raven was thrust into a memory during which her anger was out of control. Demonic black tendrils curled out from her cloak, reaching forward to grab the hapless villain of the day who cowered before her. Four red eyes gleamed from beneath her hood, and on her face, a cruel grin…

-You _hate_ who you are.-

Raven meditated while the Teen Titans played football in the park. They seemed to enjoy the sunny day, but something in Raven winced away from it and sought the shelter of a nearby tree so she could concentrate. Why couldn't she enjoy the carefree life that her friends seemed to soak up every day? Then meditation began, the never-ending fight for control.

-And you pity me?-

Raven stayed in her room while Beast Boy knocked on her door. She couldn't face him, not now, not when he might stir up emotions in her. She heard his voice and a giddy feeling flooded her, which she quickly had to crush before her emotions ran out of control. While Raven struggled with herself, the sound of Terra's voice came from outside the door, and the knocking slowly faded, followed by footsteps walking away.

-Where was your choice, demon?-

Raven watched Starfire tackle Robin in an exuberant hug that sent the pair tumbling to the floor. Raven looked away, wishing that for just one moment, she could feel that joy and not have to worry that some demonic force was about to overthrow her.

-Save your pity for yourself.-

Raven felt herself go limp as Pax left her mind. She gasped for breath, still overwhelmed by the force his presence had exerted on her mind.

Pax turned and walked out, laughing as he went. Raven… no, this demon, he corrected himself, was certainly amusing. He brushed aside a wave of affinity for her and doubled his resolve to see her dead within the next day.

-You're infatuated with her.-

-Get out of my head, Lunis.- He turned a corner to find his sister waiting for him, arms folded resolutely in front of her.

-It's true. That's why you want us to get rid of her so quickly; you're afraid of what you'll do.-

Pax tried to force a mental wall between himself and his sister, as he had done countless times before, but she shattered it with a thought.

-Don't try those tricks on me, little brother. Remember who taught you.-

He could tell by her tone that she was through being patient with him. On any other day, she would have given him his privacy, but today, irritated resolve radiated from her so strongly that Pax didn't need to be an empath to know that she was in no mood for tricks.

-What do you _want_, Lunis?- he asked wearily.

-I want what's best for you,- she told him, but her tone was crisp.

-How would you know what that is any better than I would?-

-_I_ haven't been corrupted by that demon spawn in the holding cell.-

-She isn't like the other demons we've fought, Lunis,- he said, not knowing why he was trying to defend her. –I've spent time in her memories,-

Lunis gave him a sharp look and a mental nudge that was about equivalent to a telepathic slap in the face. -You've spent too much time inside her mind.-

-She's fought her demon half for control.-

-And she has lost, on occasion. And she will lose again; it's just a matter of time.-

-But she tries.-

-How can that matter, little brother?- Lunis's tone was kinder for the moment. –She is still a risk that we cannot accept. What if she loses control in a crowded area? Do you want the blood of innocent children on your hands?-

-No. But…-

-She is a demon, like all the others we have found. She is dangerous, like all the others we have fought.- Lunis's voice took on a hard edge to it. –And she will die, just as they did.-

Pax looked away, not wanting to reply.

-There is no choice about this.-

The sound of broken glass cut off any response Pax might have made.

"Lunis! Pax! Get the hell over here!"

Lunis and Pax exchanged wide-eyed looks of surprise and bolted to where their older sister was.

Solaris simply did not panic. Solaris did not call for help. Solaris would chew off her own arm before she admitted that she needed anything from either of her siblings. What would make her scream for them?

They arrived to find a battle going at full tilt.

Lime green starbolts flew in all directions, colliding against the walls of the temporary headquarters the Hunters had set up. They arrived to see Robin battering Solaris with a series of staff strikes before jumping out of the way so Cyborg could deliver a powerful shot from his sonic cannon.

Solaris was thrown back into a wall, taking the full impact on her left side.

Lunis and Pax had barely comprehended the scene when a green tyrannosaurus rex lunged at them.

Their reflexes kicked in enough so that they dodged, but Beast Boy managed to clip Lunis's shoulder and leave her dazed enough to be hit by a round of starbolts. Pax ran to Solaris's defense, bringing him face-to-face with Robin.

The masked boy launched himself at Pax, aiming to kick the Hunter in the chest. Pax didn't have time to react before Robin's steel-toed boot planted itself on his ribcage and sent him crashing to the floor.

Frantically, he groped for the Soul Sword, forgetting that not only was it still implanted in the half-demon's shoulder, but also that it would do no good against a human opponent.

-We're not equipped to fight humans,- Lunis hissed in his mind.

Pax narrowed his eyes, gripping Robin's foot and throwing him off of him.

Robin flipped acrobatically back, leaving room for Beast Boy to charge in as a rhino. Pax barely managed to avoid getting trampled, but Beast Boy's horn rammed into his stomach. The green rhino continued charging until the boy was pinned against the wall.

Solaris, who was just getting to her feet, grabbed a handful of dust from the debris the fight had caused. She threw the dust into the rhino's eyes.

Beast Boy backed up, instantly shifting back into his normal form so he could rub the dust out of his eyes.

Solaris turned to Pax. The Blade of the Pure was in her hands. "I'm going to finish the job," she informed him as a few starbolts peppered the area where they were, forcing them to move.

Pax nodded, even though a part of him desperately wanted to beg her to spare the strange half-demon. It's better this way. She has to die.

Solaris started to dart off, but Pax had stopped her before he realized what he was doing.

"What is this?" Solaris demanded sharply as they dodged Robin and Cyborg's attacks.

"You can't kill her," Pax found himself saying. "She's different. She's not like the others we've killed before."

"You idiot. Lunis, I thought you said you had it covered." Solaris seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Lunis was currently fighting large green gorilla and a very perturbed alien.

-She's tricked you, she's corrupted you,- Lunis hissed in Pax's mind as she dodged a starbolt. –Demon spawn's clever little ploy to divide us.-

-No!- Pax screamed back. –She doesn't even…-

One of Robin's bird-a-rangs hit Solaris's hand, sending the Blade of the Pure clattering to the ground. Lunis dove for it, but Beast Boy, still as a gorilla, snatched her out of the air and Starfire sent a round of starbolts at the restrained girl that left her dazed in the primate's hands.

The sword landed at Pax's feet. He looked up and met Solaris's eyes, and then grabbed at the hilt.

"No!"

-Don't!-

But it was too late. Pax had grabbed at the handle. The skin of his hand sizzled and burned, sending up steam as the hilt blazed against his touch.

He stared at his blackened hand in shock as his sisters were swamped by another wave of attacks from the Titans.

-She has corrupted me,- Pax thought slowly. –I can no longer touch the Blade of the Pure.-

He forgot for the moment that he had never held it before. He only remembered the times Solaris had dropped it and Lunis had grabbed it to finish a kill.

-There's only one way to end this,- he thought.

Gritting his teeth, he made another grab at the sword, this time grabbing the blade. It bit into his hands and flashed power that hit him painfully, but he kept his grip.

"I'm going to end this," he said before darting out of the room and disappearing down the hall to Raven's cell. -I'm going to redeem myself,-


	13. Redemption

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: So, **Demon Hunters** is officially over half over, if that makes any sense. There will be 23 chapters in all, if all goes accordingly. I've really enjoyed writing this story so far, and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it. This is a very short chapter; I thought about making it longer, but it would just be filler for the sake of making it longer… So anyway, Happy New Year! and I hope you enjoy this chapter enough to review (or... hate it enough to review....) The reviews so far have been great, and I've really enjoyed reading all of them. So, thanks again, and please keep reviewing.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 13: Redemption

Raven saw Pax careen into her cell, hands bleeding freely from deep wounds where he held a glowing sword.

-You have corrupted me,- he said, in a mental voice that shook.

-What?-

-I can no longer use the Blade of the Pure.-

-And you think this is _my_ fault?-

-I am going to redeem myself.-

He staggered slowly over to her and looked into her eyes. –Was it all a lie, Raven?-

All of his defenses were down, and her own empathy, while still kept in check by the Soul Sword, was strong enough that his mind bled freely into her own. What she felt was more than confusion; his mind was in complete chaos.

-Trigon hasn't manifested yet,- she said reasonably, hoping that he was bluffing, that the blood on his hands wasn't real, that the wild look in his eyes wasn't insanity.

-It makes no difference. I must redeem myself. I am a Hunter, like my sisters and my father and his father. I live to destroy demons, to protect the innocent. The Blade of the Pure has always been the weapon of Hunters.-

But he was hesitating. There must be something there, Raven thought. She tentatively explored the swirling turmoil of his thoughts trying not to get caught up in any of the emotions that exploded through his thoughts.

-What's wrong,- she thought, more to herself than to him, but by this point their thoughts were so intertwined that he heard it as though she had shouted it in his ear.

-Was it all a lie?- he asked again, this time nearly screaming. He pushed her back against the wall, his face only inches from hers.

-Was what a lie?- she asked, trying not to cringe.

His eyes were wide and furious as he pressed the sword against her. -Tell me!-

She dove into his mind, searching frantically for what he was referring to. Almost at once, she found what he had hidden from her, what he was so confused about. Raven gulped.

-Did I trick you into… caring for me?-

He nodded dumbly, the sword nearly forgotten in his hands.

-No. There was no trick.-

Pax did not need to ask to know that she did not return his affection. But he also felt the absolute truth of what she said.

He backed up a few steps, the sword still in his hands.

Raven gasped in relief, realizing that she had been barely breathing.

-Then… then this is all my fault,- Pax thought.

Raven looked back up at Pax, uncertain of what he was thinking. She timidly tried to make sense of his thoughts, but too many contradictory emotions hit her at once.

Guilt. She is not to blame, only me. I am responsible; my fault; the Blade of the Pure turning against me. Anger. No! It was a demon trick, and it still is. Her fault, she's tricked me, can't trust her. Pain. Sisters were right, I've endangered them; always holding them back. Self-pity. Didn't have a choice, no chance, nothing I could have done.

But beneath this whirlwind of thoughts, there was a calm certainty that seemed to glow with a burning intensity.

Redemption.

Kill the girl.

They came upon the thought at the same time. Their eyes met; hers startled and his cold.

Pax stepped towards her and raised the sword.

Raven tried desperately to look brave, to summon the nonchalance that she had cultivated her entire, short life.

And then he drove the sword through her heart.

The Sword of the Pure shot a white electric burst of power through both of them, knocking Pax to the floor and flattening Raven against the wall she was already pinned to. The blast took Raven's breath away for a moment, but after a few agonizing seconds, she began breathing again. Pax did not.

Something, Raven supposed it was Anger, or perhaps her father, finally trying to do something, burst into life in her. She felt her eyes turn an unholy red as she gnashed her teeth and struggled to vent her destructive rage. She saw the boy lying on the floor, and some part of her recognized that he was dead.

A red demonic form in astral phase ghosted out of her chest and plunged into the boy. The Soul Sword seemed to pull itself out of her shoulder, or perhaps when Pax had twisted it in her shoulder so long ago, he had dislodged it from the wall enough so that this new development was enough to send it tumbling. It certainly _felt_ as though the sword simply decided on its own to slide completely out of her shoulder. At any rate, it fell to the ground, and Raven was only a second behind it.

She lay on the cold ground, trying to move her weak limbs, her face only inches from the dead boy.

Her vision swam black and her eyes began to close…

Just as his eyes opened.


	14. Soul Struck

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Heh. I want to apologize in advance for the end of this chapter. It's clichéd as hell, but given the circumstances in the story, I couldn't resist. If there's a general uproar, I'll change it to prevent further backlash, but I think, in context, it's acceptable. And in case I haven't made it clear, thank you for the reviews! You guys are amazing. Any guesses as to what will happen in the next chapter? Any criticisms or complaints? Anything you want to see more of? Let me know. I'll do my best to accommodate.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 14: Soul Struck 

Rain fell, pattering across Raven's hair. A dark figure walked in the distance ahead of her.

_Beast Boy?_ she thought, and raced to catch up with him.

She reached out her hand to touch his shoulder, but the figure turned and instead of the kind green eyes and unruly green hair, there was the cold and dark image of Pax.

Raven tried to scream, but her mouth wouldn't open. She tried to back away, but she tripped over her cape and fell to the ground.

Pax loomed over her, kneeling down, grabbing her shoulder…

Pain, not sharp, but dull and deep, throbbed through Raven's shoulder.

Raven moaned.

"Raven! You are awake!" a familiar voice squeaked. "And alive," the voice added, almost as an afterthought.

Raven felt herself caught up in a fierce hug that could only come from one person. Her brain scrambled to make sense of everything as the image of Pax receded. The hug tightened and Raven grimaced.

"I won't be alive for long if you don't be more careful, Starfire."

Starfire squeaked apologetically and replaced Raven on the infirmary bed.

Rubbing her temples, Raven slowly opened her eyes to see her team surrounding her in the familiar setting of her room.

"Welcome back," Robin said resting a gloved hand on her shoulder,

She smiled gratefully, looking each Titan in turn with a nod.

She came to Beast Boy last. He was standing the furthest back, looking conflicted.

"What's wrong, Beast Boy?" she asked.

"I… Raven…" Some part of him either won or lost and he wrapped Raven in a tight hug that was over before she really started to appreciate it.

He coughed uncomfortably and said, "Well, uh, what do we do now?"

"Breakfast?" Cyborg asked, grinning at the bleary eyed girl.

"Breakfast sounds wonderful," Raven said.

Cyborg and Beast Boy raced off, arguing over what to make and leaving Robin, Starfire, and Raven to plan the Titans' next move.

"So what happened, exactly?" Raven asked. "The last I checked, I should be dead."

"We're not really sure. We found you on the floor of the cell, unconscious, but very alive," Robin explained in a matter-of-fact voice, hoping that just relaying the facts would make it easier for Raven to hear. "We brought you back and set you up in the infirmary. It's been about two days."

"What about the hunters?"

"We neutralized them before we found you."

"And now?"

"While we were collecting you, they escaped."

"Then we need to neutralize them permanently," Raven said, a glimmer of vengeance in her voice.

Robin nodded agreement. It was understood that Raven didn't mean by killing them.

Starfire looked uncertain for a moment, then raised her hand as though asking for permission to speak. "Please, I wish to remind you that they did not harm us."

Raven gave Starfire a flat look.

"Er… the rest of us," she amended quickly, glancing at Raven's bandaged shoulder.

"That still doesn't excuse what they did to me," Raven growled, but her tone was nowhere near as vehement as it could have been, given the circumstances.

"My apologies," Starfire stammered. "I simply meant that it may be important that they did not kill us even when they had the opportunity to do so. Even when it would have been easier and more certain."

"They did send an explosive in first," Robin reminded her, but seeing Starfire's hurt expression, he quickly added, "We'll think about it, though, Star."

Starfire looked at Robin with grateful eyes that seemed to speak volumes.

Raven coughed. "Do you think you guys could give me a minute alone? I think I'd like to take a shower," she said before the situation could get awkward. Or at least, any more awkward than it already was.

The two agreed without hesitation, promising to come get her when breakfast was ready.

Raven sighed with relief when they left. She appreciated everyone's concern, but it was just a little too weird to have other people in her room. Slowly, easing her aching body out of bed, she stood and limped to her closet.

She undid the clasp on her cape and let it fall to the floor. As she peeled off her uniform, she noticed that her shoulder was not the bloody mess she had expected. In fact, it was nearly completely healed. Raven made a mental note to ask someone later if she had been healing herself while she was unconscious.

With a shrug, Raven finished stripping off the rest of her uniform and grabbed a robe from her closet. A short journey down the hallway brought her to the showers. She let the warm, clean water run over her body, washing away the experiences of the past few days.

She tried to relax, but something felt horribly wrong. It felt as if something was missing. She finished her shower and wrapped herself back in her robe, toweling off her hair as she walked back to her room. Normally, she teleported, but she was too tired to try anything like that.

She was nearly to her room before she noticed the green figure standing in front of her door.

"Beast Boy," she stated, feeling very confused and sorely wishing that she had simply teleported back.

"Oh. Uh. Hi, Raven," Beast Boy squeaked, his face turning an elaborate shade of red, despite his normal coloring. "I guess you're… uh… busy. I'll come back later."

He dashed off before Raven could say anything. With a shrug, she went into her room and got dressed. She sat down on her bed, trying to think. Beast Boy had said he'd come back later. Would he really? He always seemed so frightened of her…

She tried to meditate, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something had been taken from her.

After a few minutes of meditating, _not_ waiting for Beast Boy, she assured herself, there was an uncertain knock on her door.

"Come in," she called.

The door slid open and a familiar green figure stepped in.

"So. Uh. Breakfast is ready."

Raven fastened her cloak around her shoulders and turned to follow Beast Boy, but something seemed so overwhelmingly wrong that she froze.

"Are you okay, Raven?" Beast Boy asked after she had stared silently at him for nearly a minute.

"Something's missing," she said, aware that she wasn't making any sense. "I'm sorry. I must sound crazy."

"Raven, you just spent the last few days kidnapped by some creepy hunter people who tried to kill you. I think you're entitled to sound however you want," he said with a hopeful grin.

Raven shakily returned a smile.

"It's okay, Raven. We'll figure it out," Beast Boy said reassuringly. He touched her hand, and she waited for the usual flood of giddiness that would take her breath away before she crushed it into a mild contentment that she could control… but nothing happened.

"No," she whispered. "They couldn't…"

Not that.

Anything but that.

"What?"

"Beast Boy, I need to be sure of something," she said numbly. She wrapped her arms around him, a dead look in her eyes.

He gulped nervously and awkwardly folded his arms around her.

She looked into his eyes, and then kissed him.


	15. Empty

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Thank you very much for all of the reviews so far. I've really enjoyed every single one, and I hope everyone out there reading will keep reviewing. I'm not offended by anything that anyone writes, in fact, I'm very amused by most and absolutely thrilled that I've gotten so many reviews.

**Random poll** for this chapter, in case anyone out there doesn't want to review because they don't particularly have anything to say: **Is Pax alive or dead?** If you don't like reviewing, you can just answer 'alive' or 'dead'. Ahah, well, that's my shameless attempt to get everyone to review. Pretty obvious, eh? Well, I just like getting an idea of how many readers there are out there… and I was also surprised at how most people seemed to forget all about Pax, so I was wondering what people assumed.

_Anyway_, I'm glad the kiss went over relatively well, and I hope this makes sense. I'll have more stammering disclaimers in the next chapter; I don't want to ruin anything. So, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 15: Empty 

Raven couldn't feel sorrow over what she had discovered, but she did feel the cold shock of it wash over her. She couldn't feel anger at those who had done it to her, but she could feel the absolute certainty that those who had done this must pay. She pulled away from Beast Boy and yanked her hood over her head.

"Uh. Not that I'm complaining, but where did that come from?" Beast Boy asked, looking up into her hooded face.

"I had to be sure," she said numbly. "Beast Boy, my emotions are gone."

"What? So that kiss… you didn't _feel_ anything?"

She shook her head.

"Raven… I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't feel sad or… well, or anything from now on, for that matter." Not happy, or brave, or cowardly… Where was the line between emotion and reaction? She was able to feel relief and shock, but love and hate, those were definitely gone.

"We'll find a way to fix this," Beast Boy promised her.

She nodded, not really believing it. She wished she could feel _something_, even feeling sad now would be better than feeling so empty. Her stomach growled and she realized that her emptiness might also be because she was hungry. She knew she should feel very upset and forget all about eating, but that simply wasn't the case, so why pretend?

She glanced at Beast Boy, wondering if it would be tactless to try to brush off what had just happened. Without any fear to stop her, Raven gave a mental shrug and said, "So… breakfast?"

Beast Boy nodded speechlessly and followed her out of her room.

They walked silently down the hall. Raven noticed the furtive glances that Beast Boy kept sneaking at her, but she didn't say anything. When they got to the table, the other Titans were already eating. Raven noticed that in her place, there was a carefully arranged plate of food that contradicted their usual buffet style.

She glanced at Beast Boy, who gave her a weak grin. "I thought if you were going to be late, I should make sure you got some food."

Raven smiled, not because she was happy, but because she knew that was what she should do. And she sat. She took a fork in hand and began eating.

The others chattered about the latest video games and the most recent documentary Starfire had forced them to watch, something about the actual ingredients of gum. They carefully avoided the topic of the Demon Hunters until Raven herself finished eating and decided to broach the subject.

"So, what's our next move?" Raven interjected during a lull.

Robin looked at her carefully. "Do you feel up to talking about it?"

"I'm fine," Raven said.

"Well, you spent the most time with them. Did you learn anything?"

Raven smiled grimly. "I learned plenty. They're three siblings. Pax is the youngest, he's the boy. He seems to be an empath…"

Raven launched into a report of everything she had learned, from the actual Hunters themselves to their weapons, describing what she had learned about each of them. And then adding that now, it seemed her emotions were gone. Everyone stared at her in shock, except for Beast Boy, who looked down at his tofu breakfast, a blush creeping across his face. But Raven merely glossed over this new development and put the focus back on the Hunters. She really didn't want everyone's pity. She went on to describe the layout of their lair and the way they interacted.

"And they seem to think they can draw Trigon out of me, and then kill him," she concluded.

"What do you think we should do?" Robin asked, clearly amazed by how much Raven had been able to learn while pinned to a wall and by how easily she could ignore losing her emotions.

"Attack," Raven said without hesitation. The certainty was still there: they must pay. Even without anger, she knew that much.

Starfire looked nervously at Raven. "Despite Raven's report, I think there is much about the Hunters that we do not know. We have yet to explain why they did not destroy us, even when they knew we would attempt to help Raven."

"They're demon hunters, Starfire," Raven reminded her. "You guys aren't demons."

"I mean, they know we are your friends. It would have been much simpler to kill us. I think, perhaps, that if they were truly bad people, the would not have left us alive."

"Are you saying they aren't evil? That trying to kill Raven isn't evil?" Beast Boy interjected.

Starfire shrugged. "I do not claim to understand. What I do know is that when we are faced with such a situation, we do not kill our enemies. Perhaps these hunters of demons are not as different from us as we believe."

"They hunt down and destroy their enemies," Raven stated crisply. "How are we similar?"

Starfire sighed, slightly frustrated. "Perhaps they are misguided." Then, optimistically, "Perhaps we could help them understand."

Raven snorted, causing both Robin and Starfire to stare at her. "Sorry if I don't share your optimism, Starfire, but I spent the last few days with a sword stabbed through my shoulder and the constant promise of death at their hands. One of them tried to kill me. And now, my emotions are gone."

Starfire swept Raven up in a hug that was a little more considerate than the first she had given her when she had awakened. "I am sorry Raven! I have thought only of the situation and not of you, my friend…"

"Er… I just mean I might be a little biased right now," Raven said, pushing Starfire off of her. "Just because I seem to be missing my emotions doesn't mean I'm a complete blank slate. I still remember what they did to me. I still have no desire to do them a favor, even if it is teaching them the error of their ways."

Starfire stepped back a little, but she still had a concerned look in her eyes.

"I'm fine, really," Raven assured her. "Even if you're right about them, even if they really are just a little… misguided, it'd be nearly impossible to get them in a position to listen to us, and it'd be even harder to convince them that their lifelong mission is something that we'd have any insight on. I mean, you can't just expect them to walk through our front door asking for pointers…"

On cue, the door slid open to reveal Lunis and Solaris

"We need your help," Solaris said grudgingly.

"With what?" Robin asked, a bird-a-rang already in hand.

Lunis laughed; a pleasant laugh that was reminiscent of silver bells ringing in the wind. "Ironically," she said, speaking aloud as a sign of good faith, "with hunting a demon."


	16. An Uneasy Truce

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: This chapter contains more than a few explanations so hopefully everything'll be cleared up, or at least, as cleared up as the characters can presently make it. (They may or may not be mistaken about a few things.) And, since in my opinion, this chapter isn't incredibly interesting, there'll probably be an update tomorrow as well.

Thanks again for the **reviews**, you guys are awesome, and some of you even figured out what's going on. To explain the random poll, it's just a question that I have for you guys. In most cases, it won't really effect what I already have planned, it's more of just a shameless attempt to get input about some aspect of the story.

**Random Poll**: Are the Demon Hunters trying to trick the Teen Titans?

If you don't have a screen name ready, you can just put your answer as the name (either Yes or No.)

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 16: An Uneasy Truce 

Raven knew she should feel a fiery pang of anger at seeing her former captors. She knew she should, but she didn't feel anything, except distrust. Even then, without anger it was hard to hold her suspicion of them too strongly; their appearances were drastically altered.

Solaris's clothing was still bright flame-colors and combat-ready, but her demeanor was different. Her arrogant swaggering attitude was gone, replaced by weary submission. Her complete confidence had been exchanged for uncertainty that hung over her like a cloud.

Lunis still wore her silver silk gown, but instead of appearing delicate and lethal, she seemed thin and worn. Her eyes were red from crying and her hair was sharply pulled back instead of the elaborate curls she usually wore.

Raven could accept that something was wrong, but she wasn't ready to trust them, not by a long shot. She reached out for her powers, just in case she needed to use them… and found nothing.

She gasped. "Robin, my powers are… gone." She cursed herself for not checking her powers sooner. How long had she been powerless? Since she came back? Since the sisters arrived?

Robin turned to the two sisters. "What did you do to her?"

They exchanged uncomfortable glances before Solaris sighed and explained, "Pax did it. He slew her demon side. Or at least he tried to."

"What do you mean?" Raven demanded. "He stabbed me through the heart."

"There's an ancient protection on the Blade of the Pure. No demon may use it. Can't you see how coveted it would be if demons could use it against one another?" Solaris asked.

From the blank looks she received, it wasn't as apparent as she assumed it was.

Lunis took over. "Demons have battles for supremacy, just as humans do. These battles can be as simple as two demons fighting each other for a dwelling, or as large as a war between two different sects. Different demons are killed in different ways; they have different weaknesses. But the Blade of the Pure is an absolute. It will kill any demon. So, to prevent the demons from trying to grab it so they can use it against each other, no one with demon blood may wield it."

"What does this have to do with Pax trying to kill me?" Raven asked, trying to shake the image of Pax from her mind. She couldn't forget the last time she had seen him, when his face had looked so pale, when she had been so certain that he was dead.

Lunis hesitated, then sighed. "Pax is half demon."

"But he is your brother!" Starfire protested. "And you are hunters of demons… surely I am… missing something?"

"Our mother was tricked by a demon, she fell into a terrible trap," Solaris explained darkly.

Raven gave her a dour look. "You mean love."

"She would never love a demon, not after one killed our father."

Lunis rested a hand on Solaris's shoulder. "At any rate, Pax was born half-demon, but we kept his heritage from him. Mother died when he was born."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. "So Pax has been hunting his own kind without even knowing it."

"Yes. His only demonic trait is his empathy and he thinks that's normal enough because he doesn't know _my_ telepathy is given to me by the Immortal Blade. It steals the demons' powers and gives them to me,"

"If we're going to help you, you need to tell us everything," Robin said gruffly, not at all liking the way these new facts continued to surface.

With a glance at Solaris, Lunis nodded. "Alright. Everything. There are three swords, given to us by our father. He used all three in the hunting and slaying of demons. When he was slain, Lunis and I took up the hunt."

"I took the Blade of the Pure," Solaris said, "Which can slay any demon."

"And I took the Soul Sword and the Immortal Blade," Lunis added, holding up the two swords. "But the more I used the Immortal Blade, the stronger I became. I could use demonic power as a weapon to track down their kind, even use telepathy. When Pax was born, we decided to give him the Soul Sword so he could join us in the hunt."

From where she was sitting at the breakfast table, Raven cleared her throat. "Do you really expect us to believe that you just automatically accepted him as one of your own?"

"No," Solaris sneered with a menacing pause, and Raven got the distinct impression that the Hunter had just stopped herself from adding '_demon_' to the answer. "It was a difficult decision."

"In the end, we couldn't do it," Lunis said quietly. "We knew we should have, but we couldn't; he was our brother. If the Immortal Blade can steal demonic power and let me use it for good, then why can a Hunter take a demon and use him for a just cause? We made a vow that should he ever turn against us, we would slay him without hesitation, but until now, he was able to help in the hunt without mercy, without any compassion for his kindred."

"Was?" Raven asked, assuming they would go on to explain about their brother's unfortunate demise.

"He seemed to be unable to bring about _your_ demise," Solaris said, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Robin, we can't trust them," Beast Boy said in a low voice. "We know they're after Raven. It's got to be a trick."

Lunis fixed her wide, silver eyes on Raven. "Your friend is no longer a demon."

"My powers?" Raven asked. "Now that they're gone, you're ready to accept me?"

"It's more than that. Your emotions are what made you dangerous, Raven. They were tied to your demonic powers. With both, you were a dangerous unknown; it was just a matter of time until you lost control. Without either, you're just like any other human we fight to protect."

Raven felt cold. "How did you know about that?" she asked, even though she had a feeling there was very little she could keep from those large, silver eyes. "How did you know my emotions are gone?"

"I told you, I have demonic power flowing through me. Now that your powers are gone, all the walls that you formerly used to keep me out are gone as well. I could sift through your memories with a thought-"

Beast Boy shifted where he was standing, drawing her attention to his fierce glare.

"But of course, what sort of an alliance would that build?" Lunis said quickly, a slight blush creeping across her face. "What I mean to say is, your thoughts are nearly impossible _not_ to hear, right now, and losing your emotions happens to be on the forefront of those thoughts."

"So what are you getting at?" Robin asked, still playing the role of negotiator for his team.

"We need your help. From what I have seen in your minds, I am nearly certain that you would help without any sort of incentive, simply because if you do not, innocent people will die. But, should you need persuading, we can offer you something in return," Lunis said, looking meaningfully at Raven.

"What can you offer?" Robin prompted.

"The Immortal Blade will steal a demon's powers, particularly immortality, and it can bestow those powers on me," Lunis explained. "And…" She hesitated uncertainly, but then plunged ahead anyway. "And if you want, I think I can use it to give you some demonic power."

"My powers?" Raven asked.

"Well, another demon's. But it would be the same type of powers. I think. When Pax tried to kill you, he didn't use the Immortal Blade first, so the capacity for demonic power is still within you. You just need to be… recharged."

"But you hunted me down because I had demonic power," Raven pointed out.

"Because you couldn't control it," Lunis clarified. "Now that your emotions are gone, you'd have complete control. Theoretically."

"How exactly is all this working?" Raven demanded, eyes narrow.

Lunis looked uncomfortable. "We don't exactly know. We don't know what Pax did, or how the swords reacted. All we know is that right now, there's not so much as a demonic trace on you. Pax tried to slay your demon half, and he should have. But he's a half-demon too, and that…" Lunis shrugged helplessly. "That's never really come up before. You _should_ still have your demonic half, since Pax _shouldn't_ be able to use the Blade of the Pure. And you _should_ still have your powers, since he didn't use the Immortal Blade."

"But?" Raven asked in a tired tone, not really sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"You don't have any power; you don't have any demonic traces; and apparently you don't have any emotions either. It's possible that your demonic side was too closely tied to your emotions. If we had all of the swords-"

"What?" Robin asked sharply. "I said no more surprises."

Lunis winced. "There's a lot of information to relate, and there is much that we are less than certain of."

"Something about this is less than reassuring," Raven remarked dryly.

"Well, like it or not, it's necessary. As we said, we need your help with a hunt. Some demonic force has possessed our brother," Solaris said. "And we believe it is your father."


	17. Interlude Dark Forces

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Bonus Update: Time for an interlude! Yeay! And, since it's an interlude, all bets are off! We're switching to present tense! _And_ an omniscient narrative voice! Isn't it exciting? Well, I like to think so.

This would have been up sooner, but I had trouble uploading it.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 17: Interlude- Dark Forces 

A teenaged boy with dark hair and dark clothes walks through the streets of Jump City. He wears a black trench coat and a curious sword is strapped across his back. He makes his way through the crowds; the people seem to part for him. Perhaps the sword is intimidating, or maybe his stature, his presence, is just so overwhelming that they can't help but take a step back.

But more than likely, it is the two pairs of demonic red eyes that glint out from behind the boy's messy hair.

Most people will write this off as some sort of illusion. A few, just a few, will wonder if it's something more. It will only be once he reaches his destination, a dark alley at the edge of town, that he will be recognized for what he truly is, and that is only because he will meet his fellow demons.

Demons come in all shapes and sizes, and a wide variety is represented by the assembled demons in the alley.

None of the demons are foolish enough to see the boy as anything other than demonic, that much is clear, but one of the smaller demons voices the question that most are contemplating.

_This… boy summoned us here? How can one so young Call so many?_

The boy grins, one set of his eyes glinting. _I am perhaps more than I seem._

The small demon, whose form resembles a large alley cat, makes a growling noise. _Little half-blood. Why should we listen to **you**?_

With a wave of his hand, the boy slams the cat-like demon against the wall of the alley. He squeezes with his hand, and the demon's throat constricts.

The demon hisses and scratches at the invisible force that holds it pressed to the wall, but to no avail.

Only when it has stopped moving does the boy release his grip.

A general murmur ripples through the assembled demons: _Trigon_?

The boy tips his head forward, pleased. He waits for a moment, letting this sink in. When he finally speaks, he speaks aloud. "Are you familiar with the Demon Hunters Solaris and Lunis?"

A few are, most are not. Of the demon slayers at work in the world, this particular clan of Hunters isn't well known to any demon left to talk about it. Their work isn't flashy, but their efficiency is enough to gain distinction of sorts. Those who know of them realize the importance of their demise.

"This body," he says, with a gesture towards himself, "is their brother."

A general uproar stirs to life as the demons begin to comprehend the exact terms of Trigon's current form on this plane.

"And this," the boy says, reaching behind him to pull forth the sword strapped to his back, "Is the Blade of the Pure."

All the demons draw back, whether consciously or unconsciously. Even those who know nothing of the Hunters have heard of this legendary weapon.

The boy holds up the sword, ignoring how even through the sheath, the sword begins to burn his hands where he holds it.

After a moment, he replaces the sword on his back. One foolish demon, nearer than the others, eyes the sword with a greedy look. He is unconvinced that the boy standing before him was Trigon. The boy certainly doesn't _feel_ like Trigon, but then again, physical form can have an unusual effect on demons, particularly half-demon hosts.

_I trust you have heard of the protections on this sword,_ the boy says, switching back to speaking in their minds.

The greedy demon makes a grab for the sword. His hand clasps the hilt, which sears the demonic skin it touches on contact. The demon recoils and tries to back away, but the boy brings his power down on it, crushing it flat against the ground.

It's quickly made quite clear that Trigon's calm exterior goes no further than a thin layer of formality. The foolish demon disappears in a flurry of red power and raw hatred. Whatever effect the boy's body might have on Trigon, it has not diminished his rage, or his power.

_So. Now are you ready to hear the plan?_

The other demons slowly murmur their consent, and the cruel glint comes back into the boy's eyes as the demons cluster around him, waiting for instructions.

It's only a matter of time, now, the boy who was Pax thinks. Just a matter of time.


	18. The Hunt

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: So, I hope everyone enjoyed the interlude. Thanks again for the reviews! You guys are great. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.

** Today's Poll:** Where is the Blade of the Pure? Who has it?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 18: The Hunt 

"He's moving east." Robin's voice came over the communicator with only the slightest disturbance of static.

Across town, four other Titans and two Demon Hunters changed the directions they were going and headed towards the center of town.

Raven kept her concentration on flying. These powers felt exactly like her own, in fact, as Lunis had explained, the powers were hers, but the demonic energy used to fuel them had belonged to someone else. While it didn't feel any different, it still seemed disgustingly similar to using someone else's toothbrush.

The ceremony had seemed simple enough. Raven, now technically 'human' enough for the Immortal Blade to allow her to touch it, had held the hilt. Lunis has put her hands over Raven's, and suddenly a flood of power had coursed through her body.

She had expected to collapse, or feel weak, but instead she had felt better than she had in days. Energy filled her so completely that she nearly thought bright jots of power would slip out of her mouth when she talked.

But then her body had settled down and accepted the power. Even then, Robin had insisted that she try out her powers.

Raven could vividly remember stepping out onto the obstacle, the foreign power twisting and forming to her will. Robin had sent everything at her: projectiles, lasers, even attack robots. And Raven had crushed them all with a thought. Her power instantly bent to her designs; the usual struggle for control was nonexistent. With a black orb, she had shielded herself, and then with a series of sharp black projectiles, she had finished off the robots.

The expressions on her teammates' faces after that little display were impossible to forget. They had been impressed, but something a little more than that was there: they were afraid. And, Raven had to admit, if she could have been, she probably would have felt the same.

After a few more practice rounds and a day or two of research, it was time to start the hunt. Raven was ready, more than ready. She felt stronger, quicker, and certainly more in control. She was ready to take on Pax.

"I have spotted him!" Starfire came across tersely, jarring Raven out of her thoughts. "Next to the store for the renting of videos."

That was nearby. Raven flew down towards it, coming to a halt when she saw the fight already in progress.

With gleaming red eyes, Pax threw dark bolts of power at Starfire and Robin.

Raven tried to center herself and concentrate while finding an opening to attack. Of course, she could simply throw a bus at Pax, but that would be just as likely to hit Starfire or Robin, particularly if Pax saw it coming and decided he wanted to get rid of one of them.

Raven saw a break in the concrete where Trigon's power had shattered the sidewalk into sections. _Azarath, metrion, zintohs_… Starfire went down, black energy crackling across her body.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted, running to catch her.

Raven pushed her growing concern for her friends to the back of her mind. It was strangely easy to do. Normally, she had to fight against her fear of losing them, of helping too late, while she found her control. This time, it came to her instantly. She vaguely made the connection that perhaps this might be due to her utter loss of emotions, but even that thought took a backseat to the fight.

Using her demonic power, she picked up one of the pieces of cement and hurled it at Pax.

The piece came from behind him, but he turned in time to see it. He blocked it with his fist, shattering the cement.

Raven narrowed her eyes and sent five pieces of concrete sailing towards him from different directions. At the same time, she threw a protective sphere around Starfire and Robin, since Starfire still seemed to be dazed.

Raven could have sworn that Pax actually grinned at her as he dodged and destroyed all of her projectiles.

He wasn't grinning for long.

Cyborg and Beast Boy showed up, with the Hunters not far behind them.

Cyborg sent a barrage of sonic blasts at him while Beast Boy morphed into a wolf and leapt at the half-demon.

Pax twisted around and grabbed Beast Boy by the scruff of his neck and sent him hurling into Cyborg.

Then the Hunters attacked.

In a swift series of attacks that were impossible to follow, they backed Pax into a corner.

-Careful, Solaris,- Lunis said. –He _is _our brother.-

Raven heard Lunis's mental reminder for her sister, but she was nearly certain that Lunis had intended for only Solaris to hear her. What bothered her more was that they were still referring to Pax as though he were alive.

_And maybe he is alive, beneath Trigon_, Raven reminded herself. She sent out a slight empathic inquiry, just brushing against the consciousness of the entity they were fighting, but she could find no trace of Pax. She dove a little deeper, still without any sign of him. She pulled back before Trigon would notice her presence, feeling even more concerned.

The demonic possession could give all the signs of life to the stiffest corpse. If the Hunters still thought Pax was alive, what would they do if Trigon left them with a very dead brother?

_No. Surely the Hunters know better_, Raven told herself, concentrating once more on the battle.

Lunis was desperately trying to stab Pax with the Soul Sword, but he managed to dodge her every attempt. The sisters exchanged glances, and Raven distinctly heard a mental countdown before Lunis tossed the Soul Sword to Solaris and the two sisters attacked as one.

Pax's eyes flared angrily as he cast his dark power out to grab them.

Raven sent her borrowed power out to stop him.

The two powers hit, and Pax overwhelmed her easily. It was like trying to stop a dam from collapsing. Raven felt herself nearly crushed by his incredible strength. Wherever Raven's power had come from, it was no match whatever power Pax was using.

But it was all the distraction Lunis and Solaris needed.

Lunis pressed the Immortal Blade to Pax's forehead, siphoning off some of his power and then Solaris stabbed the Soul Sword through his left foot.

Pax froze, pinned by the magic in the sword.

Raven knew the feeling. She landed beside Robin and Starfire as Beast Boy and Cyborg walked over.

"So just like that, it's over?" Cyborg asked.

"Once he's stabbed with that sword, he's immobile," Raven said, without any sympathy.

"Thank you for your assistance," Lunis said softly. She elbowed Solaris.

"Thank you," Solaris agreed tersely.

"No problem," Beast Boy said with a grin.

Lunis frowned. "He does not have the Blade of the Pure."

"He'll tell us where it is," Solaris promised, glaring at the boy.

"So what happens now?" Robin asked.

"We'll take him back to our temporary base here and try to exorcise Trigon. There's got to be a way to do it, but it may take some time to find," Solaris said.

"It may take awhile," Lunis said. "But he _is_ our brother. We'll find a way to save him."

"You'll take care of that, right?" Robin asked.

Lunis nodded. "We have to do this ourselves. It'll be long and tedious work, but we're the only ones who know demon physiology well enough to try something like this."

Beast Boy stretched and grinned. "Well, then… if there's no way we can help, it looks like it's time for breakfast."

Raven felt contentment ripple through her, along with some excitement over the prospect of food. "Yeah," she agreed. "Let's go home."


	19. Trapped

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Haha… I finally _don't_ leave you guys at a cliffhanger, and everyone thinks the story is over! Well, nice try. I thought about splitting this up into a sequel, but eh. It's really all meant to be one piece.

On that note, it's awesome to have gotten so much of a response so far. You guys are great. Please keep it up! I really love hearing what everyone has to say.

**Today's Poll: **What's going on?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 19: Trapped 

"I don't like it here," Timid said, looking out at the jagged and rocky landscape that was Pax's mind. The sky was a dark grey that frothed with tumultuous storm clouds and the ground was comprised of treacherous rocks that formed sharp points that were painful to look at. Timid was cautiously perched on one of the less-jagged rocks, careful to avoid the points.

"Aw, stop complaining and do something about it," Brave snapped, tossing a rock off into the distance.

"What can we do?" Timid asked mournfully. She watched the rock skitter into a growing pile that was a few feet away.

"Let's think of a plan!" Happy suggested cheerfully.

Brave rolled her eyes. Happy might _suggest_ thinking of a plan, but she would easily get distracted and forget all about it.

Happy looked thoughtful, and for a moment, Brave almost doubted her assessment of Happy. Then Happy spoke. "Hey, wanna hear a joke?"

"Thinking isn't your strong suit, is it?" Brave sneered.

"Hey, it's not like you're any better," Happy said, giggling.

Brave had to grudgingly admit that it was true. Show her the enemy, and he was as good as gone. Give her something to fight, and she wouldn't back down unless she was dead. But a problem like this? She looked around restlessly, as though that would make a solid enemy appear that she _could_ do something about. "What we need is to get out of here and find someone to fight."

Happy giggled again. "All you ever think about is fighting, isn't it?"

"It's better than not thinking at all," Brave grumbled. "But I guess you're right. We don't need to find an enemy. We need to find the others. Well, it doesn't matter, first things first: we need to get out of here."

Brave started walking, threading her way carefully around the pointed rocks.

"Be careful," Timid called out as loudly as she could, which is to say, she spoke in a normal tone.

Brave looked back, a little surprised. "Yeah. Don't worry." She grinned confidently. "I'm always careful."

"No, you're always _brave_!" Happy said, bursting into another fit of giggles.

Brave shook her head and continued walking. The spikes varied in size; some came up to her waist and some were at least twice her size. She winced as she stepped without looking and realized that some of the jagged rocks were just big enough to be stepped on.

She glanced down at her boot, wondering why Raven didn't wear some _proper_ crime-fighting shoes, like Robin's steel-tipped boots. Those wouldn't have been cut up by a little bit of rock.

The sole was scratched, but it wasn't bad enough to get through too badly to her foot. She carefully chose her next step, and continued.

It wasn't so bad, now that she knew what to look out for. She edged around a thigh-high spike and slid past two that were so close together she had to suck in her stomach. The spikes were slanted, and all she had to do was step on the bases of the more slanted spikes to avoid those treacherous points.

After awhile, the spikes cleared out a little. The space between the spikes was a pale, chalky powder that seemed similar to charcoal. It crunched and slid under her feet. As Brave's foot slipped and she had to scramble to keep her footing, she realized that t was, in many ways, worse than the crowded spikes.

With a lot of cursing under her breath and a few close calls, she managed to make it past the charcoal pit without impaling herself. She found herself faced with another set of closely packed spikes.

With a sigh (this was _nowhere_ near as satisfying as fighting an enemy face-to-face), she kept walking.

She heard voices in the distance. _Finally, someone to fight._ She picked up her pace, moving a little faster than was safe around the spikes. One voice was high pitched and the other was softer. She could just about make out what the high pitched one was saying…

"What if she _never_ comes back?" the voice said.

Brave nearly skidded to a halt. Instead, she made her movements more cautious. She slunk behind the spikes, trying to keep hidden, just in case.

The whispering voice made some sort of reply, and the other one responded with a slight giggle.

Brave was beginning to have a bad feeling about this. She came around the last spike and saw two familiar figures perched on the rocks.

"You're back!" Happy squealed gleefully.

"Er. Yeah," Brave said, trying to ignore her mounting sense of disappointment. At least Happy was happy to see her. Not that _that_ said all too much. But even Timid seemed relieved. Brave gave them both a smile, feeling that perhaps she was more important to this trio than anyone admitted.

"Well, this world seems to be circular. Maybe we can find another way out. It shouldn't be too hard," Brave said more confidently than she felt.

"What would we do once we got out?" Timid whispered. "_She's_ out there."

"_She_ divided us up because she knows that if we can't work together, we can't get out of this dump." Brave glared at Timid, who shrunk under her gaze. Even Happy seemed a little nonplussed. Brave sighed. "She knows that we won't get along."

"Maybe," Happy said with a smile. "We should prove her wrong."


	20. A Wonderful Gift

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews so far. I've really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it. Thanks again for the reviews. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to review this little story. I know that sometimes it's hard to review, for one reason or another… maybe you don't really have anything to say, or maybe you don't want to put yourself out there like that.

I'll admit that I used to read stories and not review because I didn't have an account, and then later because either I thought I didn't have anything worth saying or because I didn't really know what the person wanted to hear. Well, just to let everyone know, I just like knowing that there are people out there reading, and if there **are** people out there who don't like this story, I'd like to know what I can improve on. Anyway, to everyone who reviews, thanks, you guys are amazing. To anyone who doesn't, please feel free to. I'd really appreciate it.

So, does anyone have it figured out? Let me know if you have a guess. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Today's Poll**: Is it really a wonderful gift?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 20: A Wonderful Gift 

Raven decided to meditate in her room while Beast Boy and Cyborg argued over the cooking. The Hunters had left her with an ample amount of demonic power, even though the exact terms of where they would go from here were unclear. Raven didn't want to depend on their supply; that would be like a drug addiction.

But it didn't hurt to experiment with the power she already had.

She closed her eyes and went into trance almost instantly. It was so easy, now that her emotions were gone. She looked at the power she had, and for the first time, it all seemed so beautifully clear to her. Without any emotions to pull her in one way or another, she could calmly use the power for whatever she wanted without any danger of losing control.

She reached out with her concentration to use her power. As soon as she touched it, she felt an overwhelming rush of power. It was there, just waiting to be used. No distractions, just absolute control.

There was an uncertain knock on her door.

Raven held her breath. She wasn't in the mood for company right now. She reached out with her magic and felt a solid wall of cheer that was just thinly veiled by nervousness and… terror?

Surely I'm not that scary, Raven thought, but she didn't feel the wave of irritation that usually came with knowing her teammates regarded her as some sort of monster. And since she wasn't as nervous as she usually was when Beast Boy came by her door, she said, "Come in."

The door slid open and a familiar green figure stepped in.

"Is anything uh… wrong, Raven?"

Raven shook her head, prepared to brush him off, but something in his eyes stopped her.

Genuine concern, she thought weakly, sinking to the bed. He's terrified of making me mad, but he still cares enough to try to reach out to me…

"You know I can't get angry any more," she reminded him, with a slight smile. "What are you afraid of?"

Beast Boy cringed. "Old habits die hard."

"And you're in the habit of fearing me?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Maybe. But it never stops me from knocking."

Raven didn't quite know what to say to that. Instead, she held up her palm. "Here, watch this."

With a thought, she twisted her demonic power into the form of a raven. It fluttered on her fingertips, then pecked at her thumb.

"Woah. Cool. Could you always do that?"

"No. I've never had such complete control over my power," Raven said, still watching the little creature.

"So… you have control because you lost your emotions, right?" he said uneasily.

"It's a wonderful gift, really," Raven said with cool detachment. She closed her fist and absorbed the power back into her. "Complete control over my demon half and at such a small price."

Beast Boy touched the side of her face. "Is it worth the cost?"

"Yes. Of course it is." She turned away from him. "They were right about me, Beast Boy. The Hunters said I was a danger, and I was. I could have lost control at any time. I could have killed all of you."

"But you didn't," he protested.

She shook her head. "Just because it hadn't happened yet didn't mean it wasn't ever going to. How could I take that terrible risk? I endangered all of you, every single moment."

"Raven, you need to trust yourself. You never let it get out of control."

"It doesn't matter now. Now I won't ever lose control. And I can do so much more, now."

"You mean in fights?" Beast Boy frowned. "Is that all you care about?"

"I can help you more, now," she said quietly. "I can protect you."

"But you can't _care_."

"No." She looked down. "No. And I'll probably never be able to again."

"Raven, we'll get your emotions back. Somehow."

"That's a lie, Beast Boy. Or it's a hell of a lot of optimism. It doesn't matter. It's better this way."

"We'll go to those Hunters and _make_ them-"

"They don't even know what happened. They have no idea how to help me."

"Then we'll-"

"It's _better_ this way," she said firmly, looking him in the eye.

He looked away. "Raven… no…"

"For your own good, Beast Boy, leave," Raven said.

She saw the tears in his eyes as he left, but there was nothing in her that could care.

"You should stay away from me," she whispered to her empty room. "You'll only get hurt."

From the wounded look in Beast Boy's eyes, Raven could tell that he was already hurt by her odd behavior. "But what about you?"

"Beast Boy, from now on? I _can't_ get hurt."

"But Raven, I-"

"For your own good, Beast Boy, leave," Raven said. She saw the tears in his eyes as he left, but there was nothing in her that could care.

He left. The door hissed shut behind him. Raven sat on her bed. She wasn't sad, but somehow sorrow drenched her, and her body knew enough to cry.


	21. A Slight Exception

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: There are always loopholes. No matter how absolute something might seem, there's always _some_ way to try to get around it. Out of curiosity, did anyone see this coming?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 21: A Slight Exception 

Beast Boy stabbed at his scrambled tofu with unusual malice.

"Whoa, what's wrong, man?" Cyborg asked, grabbing the fork from him before he could break the plate. "What happened? You usually love breakfast."

"I lost my appetite," Beast Boy grumbled, pushing his plate back.

"Ohh, I know," Cyborg teased, raising his eyebrows. "Something happened in Raven's room, right? You went in to get her, and you came out in a bad mood. You didn't fall into any alternate dimensions or anything, did you?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Beast Boy assured him, remembering their escapades with Raven's meditation mirror. "I just can't believe Raven would just give up her emotions."

"It is not as though she has a choice."

The two boys turned towards the speaker and remembered that Starfire was also at the breakfast table, and clearly able to hear their conversation.

"Star's right," Cyborg agreed. "Even if Raven wanted her emotions back, how could she get them? And can she even _want_ them? Wouldn't that be an emotion."

"Agh!" Beast Boy threw his hands in the air. "I don't know. I just feel like there's something really wrong with all of this." He slumped down in his chair. "And it makes me mad that I can't do anything about it."

A light bulb shattered over the table, sending glass flying into everyone's food.

"What was that?" Robin demanded, jumping to his feet.

"I-I suppose it was me," Raven whispered.

They all turned to see her standing at the hall entrance to the dining room. Her fists were clenched in barely contained rage and she was trembling slightly.

"Raven!" Beast Boy jumped up and ran to her. "Are you okay?"

Immediately, Raven relaxed. Her face took on a look of concern. "Yes. I mean, I am now."

"What happened?" Robin asked, but everyone could hear the relief in his voice.

"I'm not sure," Raven replied slowly, but her voice echoed his relief.

Starfire drifted over and tentatively touched Raven's shoulder. "I am glad you are unharmed."

"I'm glad too," Raven said, smiling.

"Hey, you've got your emotions back!" Cyborg said, pointing at her smile.

"Not exactly." Raven closed her eyes for a moment, and shifted her power, dampening her empathy. Slowly, the giddiness Starfire was radiating faded. She frowned. "I could feel your emotions through my empathy."

"Whoa." Beast Boy's face matched the shock in his voice. "Does this always happen to you?"

"No," Raven replied flatly, massaging her temples. "I suppose my own emotions usually drown all of this out. I'm usually just _aware_ of how you feel. I don't usually _experience_ it." She drew her hood over her head and unintentionally scowled out at all of them.

"So…" Beast Boy said awkwardly, trying to fill the silence that stretched out after Raven's statement. "How about that breakfast?"

"I think our breakfast is a little cold… and full of glass," Cyborg said, poking some scrambled eggs that gave off a crunching, clicking sound.

"Sorry about that," Raven said, waving her hand at the breakfast table. Encased in black, the dishes swept themselves over to the sink, where Raven's magic began washing and drying them.

"Are you sure it's okay to use your powers like this?" Robin asked.

"I have better control over my powers than ever, Robin," she told him, sending another wave of magic to start a new batch of breakfast. "This morning was just… well, I wasn't prepared to feel your emotions that strongly."

"Is it possible that your powers are getting stronger?" Starfire asked, watching the adroit ease with which Raven manipulated the dishes and the food.

Raven nodded. "It certainly seems that way."

Breakfast was finished shortly, and the Teen Titans sat down to eat. No one was eager to continue talking about any touchy subjects (and risk losing another breakfast), so the conversation was restricted to a playful debate about the relative merits of scrambled tofu.

"It just does not make the sense," Starfire said, waving her hands in the air to emphasize her point, as she had seen Beast Boy do, on occasion. "Why not eat the scrambled young of the fowl? It is very tasty!" She sat down, concluding her speech with a nod to Cyborg, who quickly applauded.

Beast Boy scowled with feigned anger and waved Cyborg's applause away. With an _ahem_, he stood up and began a long, drawn out speech about the health benefits of tofu.

Raven snuggled into her chair and watched Beast Boy speak. It was nice of her friends to put on this show for her. Somehow, without actually talking about it, they had all somehow agreed to distract her from her problems, at least for a little while.

Beast Boy paused dramatically and his eyes drifted down to Raven's.

She felt her heart beat, thudding faster in her ears.

He held her eyes and stumbled over his next sentence.

"And that's why, uh, why it's, it's important to uh remember to eat tofu," he finished lamely, collapsing into his seat.

Raven blushed and then caught herself. She pushed her magic back into place, realizing that she had let it slip. _You don't make mistakes like that anymore_, she chided herself. _Which means_… she gulped, and admitted it. _Which means that some part of you _wants_ to feel something._

Raven stood up from the table. She gave her friends a solid smile; they deserved at least that much. "I'm going to go meditate for awhile," she told them.

The nodded speechlessly at her, and allowed her to run off. But instead of going to her room, she went to the rooftop of the tower. She sat on the edge and looked out across the water, hoping she would be able to resist this new temptation.

She had only been there a few minutes before she felt a fly buzzing near her.

"Drop the act, Beast Boy," she said without any malice. With a touch of her power, she reached into his mind and forced him to resume his normal shape.

He landed with a thud next to her. "Hey," he protested, "You haven't done that since that guy in the book-"

"I haven't done it lately," Raven interrupted, "Because I haven't had so much power, and so much control. So what brings you here?"

"You weren't in your room," he said, with a slight grin.

She let her walls slip, just a little. She looked into his eyes and felt a steady pulse of love. She reached out and brushed her hand against his. She felt his shiver of emotion.

Before she knew what had happened, he had thrown himself at her in a tight hug that rivaled one from Starfire.

"I really care about you, Raven," he said.

Raven dropped her walls completely and let herself be overrun by his emotions. She returned his embrace just as tightly. "I care about you too, Beast Boy."

_Or at least I can now._


	22. Brotherly Love

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's awesome that there are still people reading this. Please let me know what you like/don't like, so I can adjust accordingly. On that note, I was wondering if I should shorten this story up. My original plan for this was to have 21 chapters, but I also planned on cutting out my original inspiration for writing the story (Raven losing her emotions but being able to experience emotions through her empathy).

If you've read my other Teen Titans story (**Fallen Angels and Forgotten Teddy Bears**) you know that my stories usually revolve around analyzing a character's power and prodding it to see what greater implications can be drawn from it. In Starfire's case, she has to be happy in order to fly, confident to be strong, and so forth. In Raven's case, she's a demonic empath who must suppress her emotions.

At any rate, I decided to stick my original idea back in (just b/c I really liked it) and so this idea keeps getting more and more drawn out. My plan right now is to have 30 chapters in total, but I can scale that back if the general consensus is that it's getting too long. Let me know.

As for this chapter, I hope the pace picks up a little. Sorry if it was a little boring for a bit. We're in the end game now, and most of the explanations are at over, so things should go faster. Also, in **chapter 19**, Raven starts to feel Beast Boy's emotions, so there was a little foreshadowing...

**Today's Poll:** Five more chapters or eight more chapters?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 22: Brotherly Love 

-Out, demon.-

-Do you _really_ think to command _me_?-

Lunis frowned in concentration and bent all of her demonic power towards accomplishing this one task. She gripped the Immortal Blade, drawing energy out of it as quickly as she could use it.

"You _will_ leave our brother," Solaris sneered.

_Ah, of course. All in good time. But will he be alive when that happens?_

Solaris stepped back. "Lunis, put up some shields, will you?"

-A little… busy…- Lunis replied, gritting her teeth.

Solaris frowned. They couldn't have this demon rooting through their minds. The fact that he had spoken in her thoughts so effortlessly concerned her, but with Lunis already occupied, there wasn't much she could do.

_I think you will find, very shortly, that there's nothing you can do at all._

Solaris glared at what was formerly her brother and turned sharply to leave. She would not let him see any fear on her; that would only give him an edge. She pushed open the door and walked out into the hallway. When the door closed behind her, she leaned against it, her eyes closed.

_We're going to have to kill him_, she thought. She knew this with a cold certainty that made her sick inside. Lunis was too busy fighting her mental battle with him, or else she refused to see it, but it was plain that there was not so much as a trace of Pax left.

Logically, it was idiotic to spend any more time trying to exorcise a corpse. Even if they got this demon out, Pax would simply fall limp to the floor and it would be time for a teary-eyed burial. Logically, they should use the Swords and just put an end to this demon's life, as well as the body. Logically, Pax was already dead, and killing his body now wouldn't make one damned bit of difference.

_To hell with logic_, she thought violently, brushing tears away from her eyes. _He's my little brother_.

She took a deep breath and walked back into the room.

Lunis brushed her mind, initiating the contact so they could speak privately through her telepathic channel.

-You can't keep this up forever,- Solaris stated flatly. She took in Lunis's worn appearance, the dark circles under her eyes. She refused to lose her brother, but she couldn't let that stubbornness lose her a sister as well.

-I don't need to keep it up forever, just longer than _that_ thing can,- Lunis said sharply.

Solaris shook her head. She didn't want to be the one to say it, but Lunis clearly wouldn't be facing reality any time soon. –He's dead, Lunis. You've known that as long as I have, or longer.-

-No!- Tears were streaming down her face now. –If we just keep trying…-

-Yes, we'll keep trying,- Solaris agreed, to placate herself as well as her sister. –But for now, you need rest.-

-Yes,- Lunis agreed weakly, sagging into her sister's arms as Solaris took the blade from her. –Yes, rest sounds very good now.-

Solaris backed out of the room, holding the sword and her sister. She kept her eyes on Pax as she edged towards the door.

Pax's demonic red eyes followed her every move as she pushed open the door and backed out, still facing him.

Solaris pulled the door shut and breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around.

What she saw was nothing less than a demonic horde crowding every inch of the hallway.

Before she could comprehend what had happened, much less react in any sensible way, the Immortal Blade was torn from her hand. Another demon tackled her, and she was pinned to the ground.

The demon on top of her was in the form of a dark shadowy wolf. He bared his teeth at her, only inches from her face, his claws digging into her shoulders.

Solaris took a moment to comprehend how truly unfortunate this situation was. The Blade of the Pure was missing. The Soul Sword was currently keeping Pax's demonic inhabitant in check. And The Immortal Blade had just been wrenched away from her, probably at the great expense of one of the demons.

So, she had no weapons. Which is not to say that she didn't fight back.

She twisted out of the wolf's hold and backhanded a demon that flew towards her. The demon went unsubstantial to avoid the attack, and so instead of hitting her, it passed right through her.

Class two, she thought, also acknowledging how much easier this was when Pax was there to tell her the strengths and weaknesses of each demon. She dodged another two demons, running back into the room with Pax for the relative safety it would afford.

Instead, she found another dozen demons inhabiting that room.

Force slammed down on her, forcing her to her knees.

_Remove the sword_, Trigon roared in her mind.

She resisted, trying to ignore that voice, the power behind it…

A demonic hand closed over her own and led her to Pax. The demon put her hand over the sword. She tried to fight back, but he closed her hand around the hilt.

And forced her to pull it back.


	23. Soul Searching

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Thanks for the feedback. You guys are amazing, in case I don't say it enough. It's great getting reviews, even better getting comments, and best of all knowing what you guys think.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 23: Soul Searching 

"Time for the movie," Beast Boy announced, his finger hovering just over the emergency button that would call forth Robin from whatever time-consuming project he was no doubt involved in.

"Do you truly think that is a good idea?" Starfire asked nervously. "Will not Robin be coming soon?"

Beast Boy gave Starfire a knowing look and hit the button.

Robin sprang into the room only a matter of seconds later. "What's wrong?" He noticed everyone assembled and the DVD in Beast Boy's hands. "Beast Boy, if you called me in here to watch another movie…"

"It's movie night," Beast Boy said with a grin. "Besides, we need some team bonding, don't you think?"

"I agree!" Starfire chorused enthusiastically.

There wasn't much Robin could say to that. With another strict reminder about the importance of the emergency button, he flipped over onto the couch. Starfire sat next to him. Raven took a seat next to Robin while Cyborg sat on the other side of Starfire.

Beast Boy put the DVD into the player and quickly sat next to Raven, careful to keep his distance. As the movie started, he got a little braver and crept up next to her.

Raven lowered her shields, just a little.

She smiled at Beast Boy, reflecting his happiness. She snuck a glance at her teammates to see if any of them noticed, but they all seemed to be absorbed by the beginning of the movie. Starfire certainly was looking lovely tonight.

Raven had meant to turn back to Beast Boy, but she found herself captivated by Starfire's eyes, her hair… She leaned over across Robin, who gave her an odd look, and, for perhaps the first time in her life, gave Starfire a hug.

Starfire unthinkingly returned the hug with exuberance.

She's so beautiful, Raven thought. She's so… aw, crap. Raven slammed her shields up before she did anything she'd regret. She retreated without looking at Robin and watched the rest of the movie in silence.

Beast Boy was waiting for her in her room when she got back.

"How did you beat me here?" she asked, letting her shields slip.

"I have a few tricks," Beast Boy said with a smile, glancing up at the air ducts.

She felt his twitch of pride at outsmarting her. And his playful desire to get the best of her. She reached out with her magic and held him in place. "Oh, so you think you've won?" She pinned his arms to his sides and mercilessly tickled his stomach.

He twitched and flopped, trying not to laugh, but finally broke down and begged for mercy.

Raven released her magical hold on him and the two collapsed into a half-embrace. Raven felt his contentment, and sighed happily.

Beast Boy pulled away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feeling a stab of unhappiness from him.

"You're just mirroring back my emotions, aren't you?" he accused.

"Yeah… is there something wrong with that?"

"It's not what you're really feeling," he said. "It's not coming from you."

"But it _should_, if I had my emotions. And it's perfect this way. If we ever break up, it'll be mutual. If you stop caring, then I'll stop caring," she said with a shrug.

"It's still not the same. You're playful because I'm playful."

"Don't you like playful?"

"I like _you_."

Raven wondered if he really meant that. Surely he'd rather have someone fun to be around, not the dark, grim, depressing creepy-girl he usually saw her as.

"Besides Raven… then that means you could just do this with anyone who cared about you."

She shrugged. "That's true…" She blushed thinking about how she had felt Robin's feelings for Starfire. "But I'll only do it with you," she said with a smile. She felt a ripple of happiness, but the underlying discontent didn't budge. Why wasn't he happy? At least when she felt his love for her, she just felt love, so she could channel it towards him instead of loving herself…

"It's the best I can do, Beast Boy," she said softly.

"It just doesn't feel right," he whispered, standing up to leave. From the surge of sorrow that hit her, she knew he was upset. Tears crept into her eyes. "Just think about it a little, okay?"

She nodded, pulling up her hood and pulling up her emotional walls as well. The sorrow faded and she relaxed a little as she watched Beast Boy walk off.

With a sigh, she teleported to her room, intending to meditate. She sat with her mirror in her hands and went into trance.

She found her mind disturbingly vacant. She wandered the usually active realm of Brave, then the formerly sickeningly cheerful land of Happy. _Who am I without Happy and Bravet? And the others, for that matter?_

_Who am I without Love?_

Raven set down the mirror and hastily scrawled a note to her teammates so they wouldn't worry. She left it just inside her room, where they would be sure to see it; where Beast Boy would be sure to see it, when he inevitably transformed and came into her room as a fly or a gnat, or something.

She stepped into the shadows. Some small part of her knew where to look, had been _screaming_ where to look, but she had ignored it as a foolish whim. She took a deep breath. No, this wasn't going to be easy, but it was necessary.

There was no denying it, now.

Raven disappeared.

The note on the floor, in Raven's precise handwriting, read:

_I've gone to reclaim what's mine._

_-Raven_


	24. Hostage Situation

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I really enjoy reading all of them. For the record, if anyone wants to use any of this for anything, feel free to. (It'd be really cool to be cited in a disclaimer.) At any rate, you people are awesome. By the way, my chapters are arranged to be able to keep tabs on all of the different things going on. I like jumping around to look in at the other things that are going on.

**Warning:** This chapter gets a little dark.

**Today's Poll:** Do you like the polls?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 24: Hostage Situation 

Solaris let out an agonized scream as black energy crackled across her neck. When the energy faded away, her scream died out, to be replaced by cruel laughter from the demonic horde.

Solaris gasped weakly, savoring the momentary respite. She was grateful that Lunis had passed out from the pain long ago; hearing her sister scream was worse than the pain itself.

"Do you want mercy?" a wolfish demon asked her, leaning close to her. "Would you like to ask for it, Hunter?"

Solaris winced away from his nearness. She wanted to say something clever and defiant, but the plea for mercy nearly leapt out of her mouth. She gritted her teeth to keep herself from saying something she would regret. Momentary weakness might make her beg, but she was certain that whether or not she asked, there would be no mercy for her.

"No mercy, Hunter," the demon concluded, even though she hadn't responded. "You would have shown us none, and now there is none for you."

Black energy tore through her again and her body tensed as another scream was forced out of her.

The one drawback to this amusement seemed to be that it left no lasting damage. When they tired of it, the demons took an interest in Solaris's right arm.

"You use this to destroy us," one said, glaring at her.

The wolfish demon took her arm in his jaws.

"Wouldn't we be fools to let you go on slaughtering us?"

Solaris looked away.

Black energy attacked her, punishing her silence.

"Do you know me, Hunter?"

A hand forced her to look into the eyes of a human-like demon.

"I am Xiaon. You slew my kin."

Solaris could vaguely remember a fight with a demonic horde that had resulted in a massive slaughter.

"Do you remember me, Hunter?"

Solaris refused to answer.

Black energy swarmed over her.

Solaris bit her lip until it was a bloody mess, but she didn't give them the satisfaction of an answer.

When that amusement grew stale, the demonic wolf began to slowly bite into her arm. At first, it was just a horrible vice-like grip that made her wince, but it quickly grew into a sharper pain as his teeth sank in, ripping through her skin.

Solaris had a high pain tolerance. While Lunis had passed out within the first few minutes of pain, Solaris's pain threshold had thus far allowed her no such escape.

She was the warrior of their group. If her arm had been cut off, it would have been her duty to calmly pick up her sword with her left hand and go on fighting. In this situation, however, it meant that the wolfish demon could damn near chew down to the bone before things started to get blurry.

Solaris's vision was clouded by dark splotches. The pain seemed further and further away. Just as she lost consciousness, she looked up, searching for something that she couldn't quite identify, but if she had to guess, she would have said hope.

And she saw a blue hooded figure appear from the shadows.


	25. Raven's Choice

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I'm going to start my new project soon. (I want to have it up around Valentine's day, since it's going to be romantic… yeah.) So, I'm sorry for the er… "cliff hangers." I guess I find them fun… I hope you enjoy them.

**Today's Poll:** What would you choose?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 25: Raven's Choice 

Raven was not prepared for the sight that greeted her. She had expected to find Pax pinned to the wall, his body helpless while his sisters began some agonizing process to restore him to his former self. She expected to break in upon a quiet scene and calmly demand at least an attempt to reclaim her emotions.

What she found was a demonic horde crouched over Solaris, evidently enjoying causing the girl pain.

Raven ignored her horror at what they were doing—or maybe she wasn't capable of feeling horror. Either way, she coldly focused her energy and took advantage of the fact that their entire attention was on the girl on the floor.

Three dark bubbles encased the majority of the demons, crushing down on them instantly in the three areas where they were densest. Half a dozen escaped, turning wildly around to see what had happened.

Raven saw a tall, muscular demon separate from the others, searching the corners, not thinking to look up in her hiding place.

His mistake, Raven thought, sending a web of power over him. He stuck to a wall, thrashing and screaming, but completely immobile.

Raven focused on one of the larger ones, a wolf-like demon near Solaris. She threw a loop of energy around his neck and muzzled him like a dog, tying him to the ground.

He growled and sniffed at the magic, then turned directly towards her. Before she could completely silence him, he let out a long howl.

The remaining demons all turned to her.

Raven was too dignified to begin swearing, but she truly wished that wasn't the case.

She threw a protective barrier around herself as three demons simultaneously launched at her. She pulled up a spike of dark power, impaling two of the demons. She sent smaller shards hurling at a third, striking it through the throat.

Raven frowned. She hadn't wanted to kill any of these demons. What had happened?

She dropped her shield and faded into the shadows, reappearing in one of the corners of the room. The demons looked around for her as she grabbed a nearby table with her powers and threw it into one of the demons.

Something snaked out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down. Raven looked and saw a catlike demon with its tail wrapped around her. It bared its teeth and sprang at her face.

A human hand slapped it away.

Raven smiled at Solaris as the girl weakly propped herself up.

Sister.

"Thanks," Raven said, helping her and shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

"Shouldn't I be thanking you?" Solaris asked, gasping in pain as she examined her wounded arm.

"Where is Trigon?"

Solaris nodded towards the holding cell. "I'll keep them busy. You take care of him. What about… Pax?" Solaris spoke in between fending off demons with kicks and punches as Raven supplemented with magic.

"Your brother is dead," Raven told her flatly.

Solaris began to cry, but it seemed to only make her fighting more effective. "Go take care of him, then," she said.

Raven nodded. She faded into the shadows and reappeared in the holding cell. A demon was waiting there for her, but Raven quickly invaded his mind and stopped him in his tracks. She searched his thoughts, looking for the Soul Sword, and she quickly learned that Pax had it.

Raven cast a contemptuous glare at the demon and released his mind. She knew what she had to do. She reached out with her magic, but was rebuffed. She looked and saw Pax's body standing in the corner. He turned around slowly.

My body.

His eyes lit up when he saw her. "Ah, dearest daughter," he snarled, in the still-distorted voice of her father. "You've come to pay me a little visit, have you?"

Raven wanted to flinch away from his voice; even without fear she knew enough to know that this was dangerous. "I've come to settle things, Trigon. Starting with you."

She reached out quickly with her magic and grabbed the Soul Sword. He dove for it, assuming that she would carry it to her hand, but instead she shoved it directly down into his foot.

"You're mine," she said grimly.

She rested her palm on Pax's chest and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

"Reclaiming what's mine." Dark energy pulsed through her fingers and into Pax's chest.

"What? Get away!"

"You're _my_ demon. I'm the only one who can control you." She gritted her teeth and placed another hand on his chest.

He roared and resisted her, throwing what strength the Soul Sword hadn't stilled into his throes.

"You cannot truly wish _that_ life," he growled.

_That_ life. Raven knew what he meant. The late nights of meditation. The constant self-imposed isolation to keep her emotions in check. Being the _dark_ one, the _creepy_ one. Always, always being alone, even at the breakfast table, even in battle, even watching a movie with all her friends; always a wall between her and _them_.

But she didn't hesitate, not for a moment, because there was Beast Boy. Yes, some part of her, some distant part, screamed for her to stop, but that part was as distant from her as her emotions. Inside her mind, there was the cold certainty of what she must do for him, because he needed her to do this, because even without him, she needed to do this.

"We all have our demons," Raven said. "And you happen to be mine."

With the majority of his powers still catatonic from the Soul Sword, Trigon didn't appear to be able to put up much of a fight. Raven felt a surge of confidence- was that an emotion- as she felt him lose his grip.

And then in a surge of darkness, he pulled her soul self in.


	26. Showdown

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Well, sometimes things in life just don't work out.

**Today's Poll:** Did you see this coming?

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 26: Showdown 

Raven stood facing Trigon in the desolate landscape of what was formerly Pax's mind. Jagged spikes jutted out of the surface at chaotic angles. The space where they stood was somewhat of a clearing. The ground was gravel and dust, but at least Raven could stand with her feet firmly planted.

-Get out of this mind- Raven said calmly, focusing her power.

Her father grinned and grabbed a nearby spike. He hurled it at her.

She dodged to the side and held up her hands to send an energy attack at him… and her power flickered and died.

-Your borrowed powers are no good here-

Raven failed to dodge again and she was sent hurling backwards through Pax's mind. She landed against some jagged rocks, not impaled, but severely cut. She watched her blood drip down and felt the pain biting at her.

-This is real-

-As real as what happens in _your_ mind, my _dear_ daughter.- Trigon threw another rock at her, which exploded at her feet as she jumped over it.

-This is not your mind- she thought desperately. –How can you have so much power here-

_Because there's no one here to fight him for it_, she realized.

Suddenly the surface began to shake. A crater opened up where Trigon stood, plummeting him down into the ravine it formed. Raven peered over the edge, cautiously, and saw him climbing his way back up.

_Raven_.

Raven spun around, searching for whoever had spoken. She felt a presence tickle her consciousness.

_Who's there?_

_You don't recognize me?_ The voice was so faint it was nearly a subliminal suggestion voiced in her own thoughts.

_Pax?_

_What's left of me._

Trigon reached the top and grabbed Raven's cape. He hurled her through the air towards a particularly brutal outcropping of spikes, but they dissolved into flowers as Raven hit them.

_Thanks_._ How are you with me?_

_We're both empaths. Some part of me must have melted into your mind_.

That would certainly explain it, Raven thought numbly as Trigon charged at her again.

_You have to go back to your mind, Pax._

_I can't. He's there._

_Fight him, Pax._

Trigon attacked her, but she managed to duck, then sprint away. She ran, thinking desperately as she went. Trigon had to be stopped… but how?

Raven looked back to see how close Trigon was to her and ran face-first into something fleshy that protested in grumbles about the collision.

Raven turned to find Brave, Happy, and Timid.

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked, bewildered.

"_She_ trapped us here," Timid said quietly, hiding behind Brave's cape.

"Who is _she_?" Raven demanded, clearly annoyed at Timid's way of dancing around an answer.

"_She_ is coming," Timid said quietly. "And_ she_ is almost here."

Trigon appeared in the distance, closing in on them quickly.

"Run!" Happy squeaked, pulling the others after her. Raven followed her emotions as they ran through Pax's mind.

You'd better do something, Raven told herself. No, that was Pax speaking, Raven corrected. It was nearly impossible to tell her own thoughts from what Pax was trying to communicate.   
We need to stand and fight, she thought to Pax. You need to fight him for your mind.   
She felt his slight fear, but she overpowered him her frustration. You nearly killed me the last time we spoke, and now I find you've been living in my mind for the past few days? You'd better **run** back to your body! 

She felt his consciousness peel away from her and slip into his own mind, just as Trigon caught up with them.

There was a bright burst of light and then Raven found herself facing a monstrous combination of Trigon and Pax. The face was half of each. The torso was a rippling red that belonged solely to Trigon, but he was shorter than he normally would have been, more human-like.

-Let him go, Trigon- Raven said coldly, getting her footing as the world realigned into a half-nightmare reality that was equally Pax and Trigon. The gravity didn't feel quite right, and aside from that, she was only half his size. –Pax! You have to fight him-

-Pax can't hear you.- A dark bolt of power flew towards her.

She rolled out of the way as Brave sprang forth to defend her. –Pax, I _know_ you're in there. Please, help me-

Trigon/Pax stood over her, a dark surge of power in hand aimed not at Brave but at Raven. Happy drug Timid over to stand by Brave, desperately trying to tell her something. Raven gulped as Trigon pushed the emotions aside.

-Pax, please-

_Raven._

-Pax. Hold on to something. Find something to anchor yourself, and go-

The creature was about to throw the bolt, but instead it seemed to twist within its own skin. Raven scrambled to her feet and backed away as the creature tore itself in two.

One half became the familiar shape of Trigon and the other shrunk down to Pax's soul self.

-Then help me- she said. –This is _your_ mind. Don't let him push you around.-

With a nod, Pax turned on Trigon and bent his will to beating the demon into submission. Raven guided him, showing him the tricks of how to keep his emotions in check so he could focus.

Pax began changing the contour of his mind. Where Trigon stood, jagged spikes arose, snakes uncoiled, or lakes appeared. Trigon was forced back, up against a corner of Pax's mind that was closed off on two sides by rushing rivers and on the third by a sheer wall of rock that Pax formed just in time for Trigon to run into it. Brave, Happy, and even Timid helped herd him into the center of the rivers until Pax closed the area Trigon was standing on off into an island.

Raven glared at him while Pax kept his concentration on keeping Trigon in check. -You're going back with me, into my body, father.-

Trigon seemed to smile at her. -Perhaps.- He darted towards Timid, hoping to frighten her. Instead, the grey-hooded girl kicked him back in place. Her hood fell back, revealing a cocky grin that could only belong to Brave.

Raven had to hand it to her emotions—they must have switched cloaks when Trigon knocked them aside. She brought her own power to bear on Trigon as the emotions helped her.

Trigon's image rippled and suddenly instead of the monstrous red demon there was simply a familiar girl in a red cloak.

Anger? 

"Quick, Raven!" Happy shouted. "Stop her, now!"

Raven nodded. The other emotions would return to her willingly enough; she just had to get anger out so Brave, Happy, and Timid could find the others and come back.

Raven's soul self wrapped around Anger, getting a solid grip. Once she had a secure hold, she pulled, searching for her body. She thought of the blood and flesh that she would return to, forming the image in her mind so she would have something to hold on to. With a deep breath, she jumped out of Pax's mind and sought her own.

And she found nothing but darkness. She tried to double back to Pax's body, but Anger blocked her.

This is a trick, isn't it, Anger?

No answer.

Just darkness.


	27. Demon Rising

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own Teen Titans.

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay. I've been putting off finishing this for two reasons. First, I want to do this story justice, which is getting a little confusing because I wrote some parts of this out of sequence and now I need to go through and piece it together. Second, there's only three chapters left! I can't believe it… I'm really going to miss this story, so I'm not really that eager to finish it… but the show must go on.

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 27: Demon Rising

-Don't be afraid.-

There was no point in denying her fear; his consciousness was intertwined with hers too deeply to even attempt deception. At least fear was something, she told herself. At least that's something.

There wasn't anything to be afraid of, really. It was just that the darkness was so absolute and every moment that it lasted, she felt a growing dread that this was all there was or ever would be, just darkness… She felt another spike of panic rising in her,

-Don't be afraid- Pax thought again in her mind.

That calmed her, for a moment, but the darkness…

-It's always darkest before dawn.-

She needed to find something to hold on to, something to pull her out of the darkness that came from being trapped without her body. She needed to find her way back to her physical self before Anger beat her to it.

She calmed her mental self and searched for the beating of her heart. That should be easy to feel in the dark.

But she was too calm now, her heart beat was too slow and soft for her to hear it.

How can I get it to speed up?

Beast Boy.

She visualized Beast Boy in her mind. The way he was right before she realized her emotions were gone, when he had come to her room… so much concern in his eyes, his hand on her hand…

A thudding echoed through the darkness. There.

She felt her real body, her hands still pressed to Pax's chest. Raven slammed back into her own consciousness.

She felt the borrowed power evaporate off of her in a white mist and she breathed a long overdue sigh of relief.

Relief. That was an emotion, right?

Intense joy swept over her, making her giddy. She giggled. Then her eyes went wide and she snapped down her iron control on her emotions. The happiness fizzled into contentment.

Alright.

Beast Boy? She conjured his image in her mind. She felt a stab of giddiness in her stomach. Okay. Check.

And then Anger found her.

It flickered to the surface, fighting her for control. She felt her eyes turn deep red as her darker side took control.

She tried to build up her walls, but she was already exhausted, too exhausted to do think. She had power, but she was too blinded by pure exhaustion to see how to fight. Anger brushed her attempts aside and roared dark power through every vein.

But Raven was half human. Her body partially rejected such an influx. She doubled over, contorted in pain.

_You're mine_, Anger said.

Huge dark wings exploded from Raven's back. She screamed in pain as they opened, folded, and then shuddered.

_Not just yet_, Raven thought, her voice carried by something outside of herself, something that could only be Pax in her mind.

_Trust me_, Pax told her, no more than a whisper in her thoughts.

And she did. She opened a flood of power that overwhelmed Anger. Pax narrowed that flood into a strategic strike. With Pax to help her, Raven found Anger's presence receding. The dark wings plunged into her back, folding in with a snapping sound and becoming part of her body.

_No!_ Anger shrieked.

_You've already lost,_ Raven told her, pushing the dark energy further and further into a corner of her soul self until she had control.

Immediately, Raven began building back up the walls that kept Anger in check. She didn't stop until Anger was completely walled off.

When she was done she sank to the floor. For the moment, it was enough just to breathe. Slowly, and when she had cleared her head enough to think, one thought came to her:

_Time to go home_.


	28. Waking Up

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: whew Sorry for the delays, but it seemed downright silly to sacrifice quality for speed right about now. Thanks for waiting!

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 28: Waking Up 

"Raven… I'm sorry." Beast Boy tapped quietly on Raven's door, then, gathering courage, knocked a little louder. "Raven, I'm sorry," he practiced again, waiting for her to open the door. "Raven, I'm…" the door didn't open. He frowned.

"Raven, I'm sorry!" he called, hoping she would hear him.

"I really am. It's not your fault." pause. "Are you even in there?"

Beast Boy banged on the door with his fist, screaming his apology as loudly as he could. "I'M SORRY! RAVEN, I'M SORRY!"

The door didn't open and no reply came from within.

Beast Boy took a deep breath. "Okay, Raven, if you're not going to let me in, I'm going to have to come in, just to make sure you're okay, okay? Okay?" He pressed his ear to the door, but didn't hear anything. "Okay. Raven, I'm coming in, and if you're in there, it's your own fault for not answering."

He shrank down to an ant and marched towards the door, only to find that Raven had sealed it up. She was catching on, he thought with just a little approval. He quickly changed into a fly and flew up to the top of the door.

_She's not as clever as she thinks_, he thought smugly, buzzing in. He resumed his normal form, his hands covering his eyes in case… well, just in case. "Raven?" he called. "I'm opening my eyes, okay? I'm just here to make sure you're okay."

Slowly, he peaked open one eye, then the other. Then looked around frantically as he realized Raven wasn't in the room. All he found was a note:

_I've gone to reclaim what's mine._

_-Raven_

Beast Boy gulped and ran out of Raven's room. He ran straight to the common room where he punched the emergency button.

The Titans raced into the room. Starfire soared in, a bowl of instant jell-o with bits of popcorn in it in her hands. Cyborg was reattaching his arm. Robin skidded to a halt when he saw Beast Boy by the button.

"If this is another movie…"

"Raven's in trouble," Beast Boy interrupted, holding up the note. "And I think I know where she is."

The Teen Titans burst into the Demon Hunter's lair, only to find Solaris fighting a pack of Demons.

"What happened?" Robin demanded, pushing through the horde to fight beside her.

"We were ambushed," the Hunter said through gritted teeth as she battered a demon to the ground.

"Where's Raven?" Beast Boy growled as he shifted into a rhino and knocked two demons aside as.

Solaris nodded towards where Pax and Raven were, then turned to fight another demon.

Robin gave Cyborg a meaningful look, and Cyborg took up a place on Solaris's other side.

"You've lost a lot of blood," Robin pointed out to the Hunter.

"I can hold my own," she replied with a scowl, but between Robin and Cyborg, Solaris was relatively protected. As if that weren't enough, Starfire flew overhead, throwing starbolts whenever needed.

Seeing that the battle would soon be over, Beast Boy went into the room that Solaris had indicated.

And found Raven slumped against Pax's chest. The boy was still motionless, and for all appearances, lifeless as well. Beast Boy ignored him as he gently lifted Raven's head and held her in his arms.

"Raven…"

She opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "Beast Boy."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you before, but you left-"

"It's okay," she said, still smiling.

"It's not okay!" Beast Boy said frantically. "I was terrible to you! And you could have died, or been hurt, well, I guess you are hurt, and it's all my fault! Wait…" He looked at her critically for a moment, his green eyes wandering over her nose, mouth, hair, and final settling on her eyes. "I'm really upset about this, and you're smiling."

Raven nodded sleepily at him, still grinning.

"So… you got your emotions back?"

She bit her lip for a second, then in a rush, said, "Yes. And that means I can do this now." She didn't kiss him; that would be expecting a bit much, but she threw her arms around him and pulled him down for a fierce hug that rivaled Starfire's life-threatening embraces.

Beast Boy didn't return her enthusiasm, for fear of hurting her, but he did cradle her long after she let go and sank down into a sleepy stupor.

When the battle was over, the Titans and the Hunters limped in to find Beast Boy still holding Raven as she slept.

"Is she okay?" Starfire asked nervously, hovering over her friend.

"I'm fine, Starfire," Raven grumbled, struggling and not quite succeeding in opening her eyes.

"And, our brother?" Lunis asked quietly. After the demons had been defeated, Lunis had been revived. She held the Immortal Blade, just as Solaris held the Blade of the Pure. The Soul Sword was still stabbed through Pax's foot.

"Our brother is dead," Solaris said, reluctantly looking to Raven for confirmation.

"Yes," Raven said, then struggled to stand. With Beast Boy supporting her, she was able to get to her feet. "But not entirely," she continued. "There is a whisper, nothing more, left of your brother. And it is inside my mind."

"He's alive?" Lunis asked hopefully.

"No," Raven said forcefully. She didn't want to give these women hope only to shatter it, but it was difficult to explain. "It's an echo, an imprint, left on my psyche from how closely intertwined our minds were."

"Then we can use that-" Solaris began, but Raven cut her off.

"It's not set in stone, it's… it's a handprint in the sand. In time, it will fade." She saw the disappointment in their faces, and the part of her that was Pax was sad. "But we can try to preserve it," she said.

With that, she mentally asked, -Are you ready?-

She felt, rather than heard, -yes.-

She picked up all the little bits in her mind that were Pax, gathering together the way he had recognized his body, the love he felt for his sisters, even his determination to beat Trigon. She put all of those pieces into a dark bubble of energy, and pushed them out of her mind.

The essence of Pax did not go back to his body; there was no point in that. The body was dead, and there wasn't enough of Pax's psyche left to control it. Instead, it effervesced in the air and formed a silvery outline of the boy.

Thanks, Raven,- he said, in a voice that was air and water in her mind.

"Pax?" Lunis asked, reaching out tentatively with a hand that shook. Her fingers passed through his shoulder and she shivered.

A thudding sound brought everyone's attention back to Raven, who had collapsed into Beast Boy's arms.

"All things considered," the empath said dryly, "It's been a long day. And I'd really like to go home."


	29. Breakfast

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Heh heh, sorry for taking so long. Only the epilogue left after this! There'll be 30 chapters total, which I think is a nice number to end on. The main action has already passed, so this is mostly closure and fluff. I hope you guys like it, and thanks again for reviewing!

**Demon Hunters**

Chapter 29: Breakfast 

"Who wants waffles?" Cyborg called cheerfully, to be answered by a chorus of affirmatives.

Lunis and Solaris sat at the Teen Titan's breakfast table, clamoring as eagerly as any of them. When the heaping stack arrived, they dug in just like the others.

Once everyone had some food on his or her plate (and in his or her stomach), they settled back to conversation.

"So Pax is going to be okay?" Starfire asked politely.

Lunis nodded. "Relatively speaking. He should be joining us shortly…"

On cue, an astral figure glided through the ceiling and settled to rest on the vacant chair in between Lunis and Raven.

-Sorry I'm late.-

"Where were you?" Raven asked, shoveling a bite of waffles into her mouth.

-Doing one last sweep of your city. It's clean-- not even a trace of dark energy. Other than…-

"Me," Raven finished dryly for him.

If it was possible for an astral form to blush, Pax turned the slightest tinge of pink. –Well, it's free of any _malevolent_ dark energy. Your people are safe for another day-

"Which means it's time for us to move on," Solaris said with a grimace, wondering what she would do without the impromptu waffle breakfasts she was just getting used to.

"Are you still going to go around killing every demon you find?" Beast Boy asked, ignoring Cyborg's panicked attempt to steer him away from this sensitive topic with swift kicks under the table.

Lunis laughed. –It's okay, Cy,- she whispered in his head before continuing aloud, "You've given us a lot to think about," she said, addressing all of the Titans. And then, looking at Raven, "And we won't quickly forget that."

"What Lunis is saying," Solaris interjected, "Is that we're still going to hunt demons, but we're going to make sure they're the kind that like to kill. Once we know they're the kind that attack humans, we can't just stand by. But we won't trouble any demon that doesn't give us trouble first."

Raven took another bite of her waffle and chewed it slowly. This wasn't a perfect solution. There were plenty of demons that might attack first just because of the Hunters' reputation for brutality. And aside from that, if it was a demon's nature to attack, what gave them the right to kill it? Still, it was progress, and something in Pax's luminescent eyes told her that he would keep his sisters in check.

Breakfast was devoured quickly, and the Titans turned to helping the Hunters prepare for their journey.

"We really don't need anything," Solaris insisted again, but Robin waved her objections aside with one gloved hand and handed her a pack of food with the other.

After the preparations, the group gathered at the door and the final goodbyes began, starting with Starfire who took it upon herself to heartily embrace each Hunter, except for Pax, whom she simply fell right through.

"We won't be forgetting you," Robin said to Solaris, handing her a Teen Titans communicator.

Solaris smiled and accepted it.

Lunis sighed happily and leaned ever so slightly against Cyborg. "We'll be sure to visit," she said, so nonchalantly that almost no one noticed that she was really saying it to Cyborg.

Cyborg passed a small electronic device to. "Here."

"Is this…?"

"Yeah. It's what we've been working on."

"But I thought it wouldn't be ready for weeks!"

"I stayed up last night working on it," Cyborg said with a yawn.

Lunis smiled, just at him. "Thank you." To Solaris, and the others, "It's a tracker with four times the power… which means it can cover much more distance."

The two leaned over the contraption, beginning to put it to work.

-Which reminds me,- Raven thought to Pax. –I have something for you.-

She teleported to her room, melting into the shadows so swiftly that the other Titans weren't aware she had left. She appeared before her table, which held on it a mirror. It was smooth and round, a perfect circle framed by dark claws curving around it. The interior was a murky black mockery of reality. Raven held it before her, watching as her face was distorted by the mirror.

-What is it?-

Raven didn't jump—after all, she wasn't the type that startled easily. Instead, she turned calmly to Pax. –I intended to bring it down to you,- she told him.

Again, Raven wondered if ghosts could blush, and if that was the reason for Pax's complexion changing just the slightest bit.

-Sorry.-

-It's fine. Here.- She handed the mirror to him, and held her breath, wondering if it would fall through his hands like most objects.

He reached for it without thinking, and it settled in his hands. It was only after he felt the weight of it, after feeling nothing for so long, that he looked at her with surprise.

-It's got one foot in the astral plane, so to speak,- she explained. –Just like you.-

-What is it?-

-An astral dimension that you can banish some demons to.-

-So we don't have to kill them.-

-Exactly.- Raven smiled as Pax ran his hands over the clawed edges. –I think it'll help, at least for some of them.-

He looked up at her. –You have an answer for everything, don't you, Raven?-

She would have laughed, if his eyes hadn't been so intense.

-What's your answer to this?- He leaned near her and she felt the brush of an astral kiss against her face.

-Pax! We've got a fix on the new demon,- Lunis called in his mind. Raven heard the call echoing through her own mind.

Pax disappeared, leaving Raven alone in her room, eyes wide and one hand pressed against her face.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Last chapter, last chapter. Please review.

Poll: Should there be a sequel? If there's interest, I'll try to come up with something.

**Demon Hunters**

Epilogue: Eyes Open 

When Raven didn't come back down, Beast Boy was concerned. When the Hunters ran out and there was still no sign of her, he was worried. When a fair amount of time had passed with no one seeing her, he went straight to her room and knocked.

She opened the door and collapsed into his arms.

"What's wrong, Raven?" He tightened his grip on her, but she didn't look at him. Her hand was pressed against the side of her face.

"I… Pax… kissed me."

"What!" Beast Boy mentally vowed a swift revenge, but had enough sense to wonder how he would be substantial enough to manage it.

"Poor Pax," she said.

"Poor Pax? He kissed you!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"I'm sorry for him," she insisted. Raven tipped her face towards him, and he realized that she was smiling. "Because I'm already in love."

Beast Boy felt his heart flip over in his chest. He coughed nervously, trying to ignore the blush he felt creeping into his normally green face. "Uh, you mean with me, right?" he asked.

Raven answered him with a kiss that swept away any other thoughts.

Beast Boy sighed happily as she pulled away.

Raven suppressed a giggle—she wasn't ready to be _that_ silly just yet—and ran her fingers across Beast Boy's shoulder. Inside her, she felt Happy pouting. "I feel like I'm finally seeing things clearly."

Beast Boy gaped at her. "If that's seeing things clearly, then maybe you should get glasses or—"

Raven ended his lame joke with a wave of her hand, pushing him into the form of a hawk.

He tipped his head, looking at her quizzically.

And to Happy's delight, Raven quietly said, "race you." Raven pulled herself into the shadowy raven form she occasionally assumed and flew down the corridor.

Beast Boy squawked and flapped after her. He had just rounded the corner when he slammed into a sheet of black energy. He heard Raven giggle—actually giggle!—and wrap him in a blanket of darkness that felt remarkably like a hug.

"You walked right into that one," she informed him in a serious tone. She nudged him into the form of a bunny and caught him in her arms. "So cute," she said in a very dry voice.

Beast Boy fought her influence and resumed his normal form. "Hey!" he said indignantly. He was used to being the comedian, but he was enjoying Raven's… attempt at flirting?

With a promise to let her out more often, Raven pushed Happy to the corner of her mind where she could happily replay the events. She mentally assured each of her other emotions that their time, too, would come.

Beast Boy caught Raven's eye, and the girl blushed, realizing what she'd just done. A more Raven-like Raven carefully replaced her hood, avoided Beast Boy's stare, and started walking calmly to the breakfast table. Beast Boy matched her stride and caught her hand in his.

For a moment, he was worried, but he looked up into her hood and saw the same furiously scarlet blush brushed across her face.

Raven felt Beast Boy's hand in her own and bit her lip to keep from doing something stupidly giddy.

And somehow, both of them knew that everything would be okay.


End file.
